Young Justice: Red X
by Hexalys
Summary: Robin, leader of the Teen Titans, wakes up in a world not unlike his own, Earth-16. Isolated and stranded, he decides to take up an old alias and joins a new team of young heroes. As Red X he builds a new reputation and battles against enemies both new and familiar. Ch17: Red X fights against Klarion and is placed under a spell, making his worst nightmare a reality.
1. Red X Reborn

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the rights to the Teen Titans or Young Justice.

I was inspired to write this story after reading Robin's Adventure written by LordGodsServant.

In this Teen Titans history, Raven killed herself in order to stop her Father's revival. Everything else follows the cannon up to this chapter which of course leads to the crossover.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 1: Red X Reborn

**JUMP CITY: March 7, 21:13 EST **

"Robin, we got to close that Black Hole now! It's causing serious damage to Earth's atmosphere and if we don't stop it soon, there ain't gonna be an Earth left to save!" Cyborg shouted in order to make his voice heard over the tremendous winds that said Black Hole was causing.

Robin nodded as he handed the Brain over to Monsieur Mallah to hang onto. After the Brotherhoods attempt to destroy the Teen Titans four months ago had failed, Brain had gone back to the brilliant idea of making another Black Hole.

The Teen Titans had unfortunately arrived too late.

The Black Hole was now stable, and as Cyborg had said, it was only a few short minutes away from destroying the world. Robin swore that if they lived through this, he'd test how durable a human brain could be. Robin quickly launched his grappling gun and swung his way to Cyborg, who was running every possible diagnostic to figure out how to close the hole.

"Do you have any ideas on how to stop it?" Robin asked his second in command.

"Just one, but I don't like it. If Raven was here then there'd be no problem, but…" Cyborg trailed off as he couldn't finish the painful sentence.

Robin closed his eyes for a brief second and remembered his deceased friend. Raven, in a vain attempt to stop her Father from rising, had taken her own life. It was the most selfless thing Robin had ever seen, but it had also been useless.

It turned out that Trigon hadn't needed Raven to be alive in order to be set free. Her corpse had acted as the portal. Due to having shared a mind link with Raven, Robin had been the only Titan unaffected by the stone spell that Trigon had cast across the land. Slade, who had been revived in order to retrieve Raven's remains, had found him and together they had defeated the undefeatable Trigon.

"What do we need to do?" Robin asked Cyborg.

"Since the hole is stable on this side, the only way to make it collapse is to hit its weak point. The best way to stop it is to attack the other side, but in order for one of us to be able to attack it-"

"Someone would have to allow themselves to be sucked in, destroying the Black Holes' foundation and their way back home. It's a suicide mission." Robin finished for Cyborg. They both shared a grim, but knowing look. Robin knew there was no way he would allow one of his teammates to be the one to go into the Black Hole, not when he could it just as easily.

Robin held out his hand to his second in command. Cyborg bit his lip and shook Robin's hand, knowing what his leader had in mind and knowing that they had no other choice. They were going to lose a team member today no matter what, but Cyborg knew after what happened Raven that Robin would never allow another Titan to die if he could help it.

"Take care of the Titans." Robin said as he pulled out his grappling gun, ready to use it one last time.

"I will. Listen man, you're one of my best friends Rob and I'm proud to have fought with you over the last three years." Cyborg said as he stepped back from his leader. Perhaps a year ago he would have been yelling and screaming at Robin, trying to convince his leader that there had to be another way, but Cyborg was no longer that naïve. None of the Titans were. Sometimes, the world didn't always get a happy ending.

"I feel the same Cyborg. Tell Beast Boy and Starfire that I'm sorry and that I wish them the best." Robin said as he turned to his other two teammates. Even from this distance, he could see Starfire and Beast Boy holding hands.

After Raven's death he had closed in on himself and had told Starfire right then and there that he could never start a romantic relationship, not with her or anyone else. She understood, but she hadn't felt the same way. As it turned out, Beast Boy cared for Raven a lot more than the others had originally thought. Eventually the two found solace in each other and that relationship evolved into something more.

He had been hurt when Starfire had moved on, but it was for the best. He didn't want to hold her back from a relationship if he wasn't going to start one with her. It had been painful at first to see the two of them together, it still was, but now, at the end of it all, it seemed… right.

"Oh, and take good care of Bumble Bee." He said as he winked at a blushing Cyborg.

Robin turned to look at the increasing Black Hole and briefly wondered if Raven had felt like this before she had sacrificed herself. So determined with no second thoughts, knowing that her death would save the lives of others, of her friends.

Shooting his grapple up to the highest ledge he could find, Robin launched himself headfirst into the abyss.

He cried out as he nearly pulled his arm out of his socket and gripped his grappling line harder. '_Damn whiplash._' Not wasting anytime, he turned his body to face the hole and pulled out his explosive Birdarangs. Robin took aim and looked back at his world one last time. He could see Cyborg holding back the rest of the Titans, all of them watching.

"Goodbye."

Letting go of the line, Robin threw the six explosives with everything he had. He smiled as he saw them make contact with the structure of the Black Hole and covered his face with his hands once they exploded.

As he spun backwards from the force of the blast Robin lost consciousness.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM CITY: March 7, 21:15 EST**

Robin groaned as he slowly pushed himself up from the ground. Gingerly, he rubbed his shoulder and administered a small amount of pressure to test for any tearing. He gave a relived sigh when he found that, even though his shoulder was going to be sore for a while, it wasn't too badly hurt.

Once Robin had decided that his only problem was going to be sore muscles and stiff joints, he looked around the area to observe his surroundings. He gasped as he quickly recognized his location. The dark dilapidated buildings and smoke filled sky was easy to place.

He was in Gotham City.

He let out a relieved sigh and had he been anyone else, he probably would have had a hysterical laughing fit. Somehow, he had made it. Robin took out his second grappling gun; it always paid to bring a spare, and aimed at the roof of the apartment building he was next to. He shot up to the roof in a manner of seconds and gracefully landed on his feet.

He took the chance to admire the city that he'd once protected and saw that it hadn't changed a bit in the three years he'd been gone. He couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. Robin pulled out his Titan communicator and called his team.

"Cyborg, this is Robin. I'm okay and in Gotham City." He said with a smirk. There would definitely be a party at the Tower tonight. After waiting five minutes for Cyborg to respond, Robin began to frown. "Cyborg, can you hear me? Beat Boy? Starfire?" He adjusted the frequency to other designated Titan channels, but all he got was static. '_Was the communicator damaged during the explosion of the Black Hole?_'

"Aaaaahhhhh! Someone help me! Please!" Robin heard a female voice call.

Instincts took over Robin, his year of training overriding his thoughts and Robin put his dilemma on hold as he moved to help the woman who had screamed. He launched off the corner of the building, using his grappling gun to pull him to the next rooftop. After five minutes of jumping and diving from one building to the next, Robin arrived just in time to see the four offenders being taken down by… himself?

Robin quickly hid himself in the nearest shadow and stared in amazement as a younger version of himself handcuffed the criminals to a nearby streetlight. As the younger Robin walked in and out of the light, he could see the major differences between his costume and his double.

The other Robin's hair wasn't spiked up, but at least it wasn't gelled down to his skull like Batman had made him do. The cape was longer and there wasn't any green on the uniform, instead it was replaced with black. His mask and gloves were styled differently as was his utility belt and boots.

"Here you go mam." His younger self said as he gave the frightened woman her purse and Robin couldn't help, but flinch at how familiar the boy's voice was. It was younger version of his own, before puberty had set in.

"God bless you!" She said as she ran out of the alleyway and no doubt all the way to her home.

"So how'd I do? I did good right?" His younger self said eagerly as he turned towards the darker shadows in the alley.

"You did very well Robin. I knew that you could handle them on your own." Batman said to his younger self. Robin stopped breathing as soon as his former mentor stepped out of the shadows. Even though the costume was a little different, Robin could tell right away that this was the man who'd trained him.

"Do you want to turn in for the night?" Batman asked as he grabbed his grappling gun.

"One more round?" His younger self said in a childlike manner.

"One more." Batman nodded as the two launched into the air leaving Robin with nothing more than an eerie laugh, courtesy of his younger self.

'_Okay Boy Wonder get a grip, you can figure this out. Apparently, there's a younger me running around with Batman wearing costumes I've never seen before…' _

It was time to do some research.

Robin spent the next five days looking through newspaper articles, the internet, and any other source of information he could get his hands on, namely the Bat Computer. Fortunately, this Batman and his had the same password. With every new bit of information he read, Robin felt lost even as the pieces fell into place to form the bigger picture.

This world was not his world. Somehow the Black Hole had brought him to a different dimension.

He didn't want to believe it, but he knew he was right. Larry, himself from a different world, had been enough proof the different dimensions did exist. So that only left one question, what should he do now? This wasn't his world, but he was likely stranded here for the rest of his life.

Of course he could always ask the Justice League for help, but he didn't think that he wanted to announce himself to the superhero community anytime soon. Even though they were this dimensions' version of his friends, they weren't really his friends. They were strangers who wore the faces that he was familiar with. They hadn't had the same experiences as their counterparts, they wouldn't know him.

He knew one thing though, he was a hero. As long as people were in trouble, he'd be there to help, but how could he be Robin if there already was a Robin? He supposed that he could take the role of Nightwing, but then he might be taking away that future from the other Robin.

Suddenly struck by a mad idea, he logged onto Batman's computer and looked up any and all information on Red X. He smiled as the screen flashed no data found.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**NORTH RHELASIA: May 11, 22:51 RLT**

Red X stared down through the roof window, watching and listening to his target very closely. This was his eighth time spying on Singh Manh Li, head of North Rhelasia, as well as the last time.

He'd been in this new dimension for two months now and unfortunately, Red X had yet to make his heroic début. Deciding that he was going to be Red X again had been simple enough, but he'd had no money to fund his new career. Since asking Batman for a loan was out of the question, and he absolutely despised the idea of stealing, he had gone to look for work.

He'd sent out a coded message offering his services as a spy. A spy was the perfect job for him. He'd been trained by the best to hide in the shadows. As a spy, he would be kept a secret and more importantly, he'd be paid a high amount with every new mission.

He had of course, turned down quite a few jobs, as most had been request from criminals, but had lucked out when he had gotten a request from Singh Manh Li. He then gave up his Robin costume and put on his Red X one. This suit was not like the old one though.

While it looked the same and offered some protection, it was not powered by Xenothium. His first Red X suit had been far more complicated. It had been carefully wired to contain and distribute Xenothium safely throughout the suit. Robin hadn't had the money, equipment, or the right supplies to recreate it. Well, not yet at least. He fully intended to recreate a suit powered by Xenothium, but until then, he'd have to do without.

Red X cranked his receiver higher, clearing his transmitter of static to make out what Singh Manh Li was saying now. The man was going on and on about how much he hated Tseng, the leader of South Rhelasia, and how he couldn't wait to put a pistol in the other man's mouth.

'_Same old, same old._' He thought as he watched them man pacing below.

Honestly, Red X didn't regret his decision in coming to Rhelasia. His first job as Singh Manh Li's spy had been his first step out of the shadows and after a month of espionage, things took an interesting turn. He'd received a message form Tseng.

Tseng requested for Red X to spy on his enemy Singh Manh Li and offered double what Singh Manh Li was paying. The offer of more money had been tempting. It was then that he had a brilliant idea; he decided to work for both.

However, he'd felt that it had been only fair to tell both employers the truth. He had gone to both Tseng and Singh Manh Li, telling them about the new arrangement and even though there had been a lot of yelling, he was now paid a small fortune by both men. Even though Red X spied for both men, he was honorable and professional. He didn't give out any information other than what he found out from his paid assignments.

Red X sighed and turned off his transmitter. Singh Manh Li had gone to bed an hour ago, but it paid to be thorough. He cracked his neck back and forth, trying to get rid of the remaining cramps built up from his lack of moving. He jumped off the building and landed in the shadows near his new motorcycle.

It was black with a giant red x painted across both sides of it. It was loaded with gadgets and had been built with the strongest metal he could get his hands on. He sat down on the smooth leather seat and gripped the red handle bars. He turned the key and smiled softly to himself as the engine purred quietly. Almost silently, he pulled out of the ally and turned onto the empty road.

He had to get back to his apartment and send Tseng the location for Singh Manh Li's next weapon shipment.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**JUMP CITY: May 19, 02:46 EST**

Red X studied the group below him, taking in the various insignias they wore, showing everyone else who they represented and not to mess with them. It had been a week since his last mission in Rhelasia and he had arrived back in the states four days ago.

Now that he had enough money, he needed an illegal item that wasn't for sale, a Xenothium core. The only way he'd be able to get his hands on that would be through an auction sanctioned by the Black Market. He had found Intel that an auction would be going down tonight and in Jump City no less, which was where he was now.

As Red X's eyes scanned through the crowd, he looked for any major criminal who might have shown up instead of just sending a grunt. He could see the signs of Kobra, Penguin, Bane, Luthor, and the League of Shadows. While mostly everyone who was there were grunts Robin saw one person who might prove a challenge, Sportsmaster.

He wore no insignia on his uniform, showing that he was either there for himself, or for someone who wished to remain anonymous. His attention and everyone else's turned to the smartly dressed man that would be tonight's auctioneer.

The auction went by fast and all too soon they came to the last item of the night.

"And for out final item, we have a regenerative Xenothium Core." The auctioneer said as a man deposited said item on a pedestal. It was an oval shaped blood red stone. Everyone in the group shifted anxiously awaiting for the bidding to begin. Red X smiled as he stared at his unexpected prize.

A Xenothium Core was rare, but a regenerative one was the rarest. It was a mutated core that contained the plant gene that initiated photosynthesis. Simply put, he only had to expose the core to the sun in order to recharge it. If he could get that core, he'd never have to replace his power source ever again.

"Now gentlemen, let's start the bidding at one hundred million shall we?"

Red X took that as his cue to move in. He busted through the window and threw a handful of smoke pellets that released a red cloud that would knock out anyone who breathed it in for ten minutes. He dashed forward to grab the Xenothium Core and used his grappling gun to pull him back up onto the roof. Having what he came for, Red X ran across the roof tops, making his way towards his hidden bike.

Red X heard the whirl of a weapon being thrown towards him and jumped into a dive roll, avoiding the discus that would have hit him. He turned around and got into his ready stance as he placed the core into one of the empty pouches of his belt and pulled out his collapsible steel staff, pointing it at Sportsmaster.

"Never seen you before. Who're you supposed to be?" Sportsmaster said as he brought out his baseball bat.

"Red X." He said with the metallic tone that he was known for as he lunged at Sportsmaster. He still wore the unformatted suit, but the one that would be powered by Xenothium was already made and waiting for him back at his latest hideout.

He dodged and weaved through Sportsmaster's attacks and slammed his staff into the man's leg. Sportsmaster let out a shout of pain as both he and Red X heard the bone in his leg snap. Red X withdrew his staff.

"What? You think I'm no longer a threat just because you broke my leg? I can still fight kid!" Sportsmaster yelled as he struck out at Red X.

Red X flipped over the swing and landed a few feet away from his opponent. "I know you can still fight, but now you won't be able to chase me down all that well. See ya." He called back as he dashed over to the next roof. He smiled as he heard Sportsmaster curse out his name. It was starting to feel like old times.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM CITY: May 20, 22:43 EST**

Red X smiled as he put on his upgraded suit. Though there were no changes in appearance to the tattered caped hero, there was a hidden system of circuitry that ran under the black Kevlar Red X now wore. Carefully, Red X gently placed the Xenothium Core inside the gunmetal grey multi-compartment belt. He locked the chamber and put the power belt on around his hips. He could instantly feel the difference; he could feel the power pumping through his suit.

While he wasn't one to brag, Red X would be the first to admit that his suit was genius. His belt held the core, but the power of the Xenothium traveled throughout his suit; much like blood in the circulatory system. It was how he was able to turn invisible, perform short distance teleportation, and enable him to shoot X shaped weaponry from his palms.

He'd added new gadgets to his suit while he was at it. First off, his mask not only held a voice changer, but a breathing apparatus. His eyes were equipped with night vision and he could now shoot Xenothium powered red laser beams from them. He had a com link system integrated into his mask and could now release red knockout gas from his palms.

Along with his new gadgets he had his old ones as well. Invisibility, Teleportation, X-Shuriken, X-Wrist blades, Explosive X, Electric X, X-Portal, X adhesive restraint, and X constrictive restraint.

He grinned as he clenched his fists. Red X was about to make his début.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Well there's chapter one and my plans right now are to stick with the canon of Young Justice. I don't plan on putting in any other characters from Teen Titans into the Young Justice dimension, but that may change as the story progresses.

I had always wondered why Raven never thought of suicide to prevent the end of the world. I know that I wrote it so that her sacrifice didn't matter, but it kinda bugged me that she hadn't thought of that solution. It's not like I hate Raven or anything, but I think that since she is a hero, she has to do whatever she can to save people.

I had Robin chose to be Red X because I really liked the identity that he made. Plus, he looks totally badass and has awesome gadgets that would further set him apart from Young Justice's Robin.

I was on the fence about whether I should give Red X awesome hacking skills and a red holographic computer or not. In the end I decided against it. Robin had shown that he was technological savvy, but he's nowhere near the level that YJ Robin shows.

I threw in the part about Rhelasia so that Red X can come back to it in the story later during the episode Target. I made up the regenerative Xenothium Core because Red X can't keep stealing new power sources for his suit. He's a hero now, not a thief. I also felt it best to give him some new gadgets.

Also, I have a question for you dear readers. Should I bring in Deathstroke a.k.a. Slade? Personally I really like Slade and since Red X is now in the hero community, he's gonna need an arch-nemesis. I just don't know if you guys would be tired of Slade though and if you don't want Slade, then which villain would you like to be Red X's arch-nemesis?

Next chapter we see Red X finally hits the hero scene and runs into Gotham's protectors.

~Hexalys~


	2. A New Hero

I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

**Lunaryon Lord of Chaos** said that they like the idea of Talia Al Ghul being Red X's arch nemesis which is cool because it hasn't been done before, but I want it put to a vote. So poll time and here are your choices and yes, that is how you spell Rhelasia, I wiki'd it!

1. Slade a.k.a. Deathstroke the Terminator

2. Talia Al Ghul

3. The Joker

4. The Light (As in the entire leaders of the light become his arch nemesis instead of just one person from their group.)

5. Other (This means that you can choose any character from any company, such as Marvel or Darkhorse.)

This chapter takes place immediately after the last one.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 2: A New Hero

**GOTHAM CITY: May 20, 23:21 EST**

Red X stared down at the dark streets of Gotham and listened to various police channels through his com link as well as the private communication channels that Batman and the Justice League used. It was time for his first heroic act as Red X and he'd decided to do it in Gotham, the city he'd first started out in as Robin.

It didn't take long before a few police down by Crime Alley reported being under heavy fire by a street gang. As Crime Alley was twenty miles south of his position he decided to forgo traveling by teleportation, the farthest he could travel in one leap was seventy-five feet, and raced off to the Crime Ally on his X-cycle.

In a few minutes he arrived at the alley and just in time too. The two cops who had been under fire were crouched behind the remains of their car as the gang of seven men advanced upon them with semi-automatic guns. Bullets shot through the air as did the insult and hollers of the attackers and Red X felt himself relax, his body put at ease by the familiar situation.

Not wasting any time Red X launched himself off of his bike towards the assailants and lashed out seven X-shuriken that sliced through every gun, making them useless. Surprised, the thugs turned to look at him and at his now auto piloted bike that parked itself in front of the cops, giving them more cover.

"Who the hell is this guy?" One of the thugs shouted as he pulled out a switchblade.

"Who cares? He ain't the Bat and that's good enough for me." Another answered as he swung a metal chain in his hand. The others seemed to find some sort of comfort in the mans' words and they quickly pulled out whatever weapons they had on them.

Red X stared at the men impassively. While he had hoped that his first hero gig would be something bigger, he was always glad to help Gotham's finest. It wasn't a total lost either. He could easily tell that these men worked for the Mad Hatter, as they were wearing masks from the various characters from Alice in Wonderland. If he impressed these guys enough, they would likely tell any other criminal about the new hero in town and his renown would quickly grow.

The two men closet to him gave each other a silent nod and then charged towards him. He dodged the first punch that was thrown at him and redirected the attack from the second man towards the first causing both of them to tumble into the ground in an undignified manner. He turned his back on them and without looking, shot out an adhesive X that acted like glue, causing both men to be stuck to each other as well as the ground.

He heard a low whistle from up above, but didn't look up at the dynamic duo that he now knew were watching him. Batman was watching him now, no doubt with suspicion, judging him, his moves, and his motives. Red X moved into his fighting stance and gave the universal sign of 'bring it on'.

The group seemed to decide that there was safety in numbers as they all charged at him. With skills that he'd perfected over the last eight years, he weaved in and out of the badly thrown punches and kicks. Using his acrobatics skills, he flipped over most of the group and went for the most dangerous opponent, the one holding the knife.

Red X dodged as the man lunged at him with the steel blade and caught his wrist before he could pull back. With a controlled strike, he aimed a side kick at the mans' chest sending him flying across the alleyway and into the neighboring building. The man slumped to the ground after being rendered unconscious due to his head hitting the brick wall.

Without missing a beat, Red X caught the metal chain that had been aimed at his head and pulled, causing the attacker to stumble. He did a backhand spring over the man, using his back as a springboard, and launched a spin kick towards the head of another thug. He turned back toward the previously downed man and sent two constrictive X's at him, binding his arms and legs.

Red X turned towards the last two men and saw them trying to make a break for it. He used his teleportation to appear in front of them and smiled as they let out a startled cry. He attacked the man closet by elbowing him in the cut and then struck at the base of his neck, knocking him out. He turned to the other man and almost sighed as the thug tried to run away again.

He was about to aim another constrictive X at the man, but stopped when he saw a smaller figure drop down on top of the man, effectively knocking him unconscious. Red X stared at Robin as the younger boy grinned up at him.

"I know that you probably had him, but I couldn't let you have all the fun. You took those guys out in 83.2 seconds! My name's Robin by the way, what's yours?" His younger self said as he started to collect the thugs strewed across the alley.

While Red X had realized that he would eventually meet his other self, he hadn't planned on meeting the dynamic duo on his first night. He forcefully pushed his uneasiness aside. It didn't matter who he was meeting, he was now Red X, nothing more.

"X, Red X, and the pleasure is all mine." He said as he reached out to shake Robin's hand, which the boy gladly accepted. From the corner of his eye, Red X saw Batman talking to the two cops, no doubt asking for any details they could give about him.

"Your moves were totally awesome, heavy on the awe! Do you have any powers or do you use gadgets like me and Batman?" Robin asked as he poked at the adhesive that held the Mad Hatter goons together. Red X didn't answer as he saw Batman heading right towards him. Robin pulled away from his inspection and stood beside Batman, putting up a solid front to make him feel threatened.

It was a tactic he'd been a part of many times in the past, both with Batman and with the Titans.

'_Oh joy! Interrogation time._' Red X thought bitterly, his face subconsciously turning impassive. He'd long stopped looking up at his mentor with that face that begged for a compliment, for any kind of reaction that wasn't criticism.

"Who are you?" Batman asked, or rather demanded. He glared at Red X with that infamous Bat glare of his and in a cold voice that spoke volumes of his lack of trust in the new hero. Red X knew that this wasn't his Batman, but he still couldn't shake the anger and irritation he suddenly felt towards the man.

"And here I thought bats were supposed to have excellent hearing." He said in an impassive tone as he shrugged his shoulders at the two. He caught their surprised looks before Batman's face took on the form of anger and annoyance, while Robin's took on a look between humor and awe.

"My name is Red X." He said as simply before he turned to walk towards the police officers. He heard the footsteps behind him and narrowed his eyes in annoyance at his once mentor. He knew that his Batman hated it when a hero fought crime in his town and it seemed like this Bat felt the same way.

"Are you both okay?" He asked as the police came towards him, both men looking shaken and relieved at the same time.

"Yeah, you really saved our asses back there. Another few seconds and we would have been Swiss cheese." The one cop said while the other nodded in agreement.

"Why did the Hatter's men attack you?" He asked and practically felt Batman narrow his eyes in suspicion.

"Well it could be because we were transferring their boss to Arkham. Batman had just apprehended him about an hour ago, but a few of the Hatter's men that were still on the loose attacked us and he got away. We tried to follow after him, but then his men started to fire at us." The same officer said and Red X nodded.

"Okay. Try to call Gordon and tell him what happened. It would be best for you to wait here to keep an eye on these guys and to have a second unit come here as back up. I'll take care of Jervis." He said. The two men nodded before one officer returned to the car in order to call dispatch while the other went to stand guard over the thugs.

"You don't really think that you can take on the Mad Hatter do you?" Batman said as he continued to glare at Red X. X ignored him and walked over to the thugs.

"You don't mind if I borrow this guy for a few minutes, do you?" He asked the officer as he grabbed one of the grunts that had woken up. "I just want to… talk to him about a few things." He said as he dug his hand into the mans' shoulder causing him to flinch. The thug looked up into the cops' face with a pleading look. The officer had a smirk on his face before it was replaced with a look of confusion.

"Huh, that's odd? I thought there had been seven attackers, not six? Oh, well I must have miscounted." Like he said earlier, Gotham's finest.

"An honest mistake officer, things can be so confusing when one is being shot at." Red X replied as he started to drag the still bound criminal away and into the shadows of Crime Alley.

"No! Please! Someone help!" The thug shouted before Red X teleported them to the rooftop of a building that was only a block away. He had to make this fast. He didn't know how this Batman interrogated criminals so he didn't want the man to see his interrogation skills, just in case they were too… excessive.

He pushed the criminal to the ground and let him try crawl away for a few feet before he walked over and stomped his foot hard into the mans' back. The thug let out an almost silent gasp as tried to reclaim the air that had been knocked out of him. Red X didn't give him time to recover. He kicked the man in his side, making him roll over onto his back, and brought his right hand over the mans' eyes making sure that he could see the glowing X in his palm.

"I'm going to give you three chances to tell me where the Mad Hatter is. If you don't, I'll pump so many volts of electricity through your body that your nerves will shut down and leave you trapped inside a useless husk of a body. Got it?" He said in his cold and metallic voice.

His first answer was a glob spit landing right above his left eye. Using his electric X, he sent jolts of red electricity racing through the mans' body as he screamed. Red X stopped after twenty seconds and observed as the man continued to spasm for several moments.

"Strike one. If you don't tell me this time, I won't turn off the electricity until you either bite off your tongue or until you pass out. Did you know that it's possible for a person to drown on their own blood if they bite off their tongue? I read it on a Snapple label once." He said as he walked towards the man who gazed up at him in obvious fear.

"I'll ask again, where is the Mad Hatter?" He said as he began to charge up for another electric X. As he slowly approached the thug, he could see the man sweat in the faint red light coming from his palm. The man finally broke just as the hand was about to reach his chest.

"Okay, Okay! I'll talk! Boss planned it all along. Batman thwarting him was supposed to happen. The boss lured the Bat out earlier and pretended that Batman had beaten him so that when he escaped, the Bat wouldn't suspect a trap." The thug said as Red X continued to hover over him.

"Where?" Red X growled as he brought the glowing hand to hover over the mans' face. That was why Batman wasn't here yet. He was already on his way to a trap or had already been caught.

"The abandoned clock factory on twenty-Third Street, that's all I know! I swear!" The grunt yelled and Robin quickly grabbed hold of him to teleport back to the others. Red X let his eyes sweep over Crime Alley, hoping to find Batman brooding in the shadows with Robin standing beside him. They weren't, he knew they wouldn't be.

"Oh hey, you're back! Batman and Robin took off a short time ago after you left. Said something about their tracer still working." The officer from before said as Red X handed him the still shaking criminal.

"Change of plans. This whole thing has been a trap setup by the Mad Hatter. Batman and Robin are in danger. Call Gordon and tell him that the Hatter is hiding out at the abandoned clock factory on twenty-third!" Red X shouted as he ran over to his motorcycle and started the engine. He saw the cop nod before he drove off towards the factory.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM CITY May 21, 00:09 EST**

Red X parked his X-cycle in the ally that was a few blocks away from the clock factory and teleported himself to the roof of the Mad Hatter's hideout. He activated his cloaking device and silently snuck into the building.

After a moment of surveillance he found Batman and Robin. They were tied down to metal tables, their utility belts were removed and in the Hatter's hands who was standing not even a few feet away from them.

"You know Batman, you and your little bird should have known better than to go down the Rabbit hole unprepared. Hah-aha, but then if one never takes any risks then one would never gain anything." Hatter said as he tossed the belts onto a nearby broken conveyer belt. He toddled over to a lab set that was by Batman and continued to speak, his voice high pitched with a thick British accent.

"Tic Toc Batman, we really must hurry things along. You and young Robin have a very important date to make." He said as he picked up two mangled looking white rabbit masks.

"What are you planning Jervis?" Batman growled as he tugged uselessly at his restraints. Red X easily picked up on Batman's plan. He would distract Hatter for as long as possibly while Robin focused on escaping from his own restraints. Sure enough, Red X could see Robin trying to pick the lock of the metal cuff that was holding him down.

'_Well, there's nothing wrong with lending a hand to those in need._' X thought to himself as he planned a diversion that would give both Batman and Robin the chance they needed to escape.

"Oh nothing Batman, just a little tea party that both you and Robin are invited." The Hatter said madly as he skipped around the room waving the masks that would no doubt act as a mind control device.

"I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!" Red X quoted from Alice in Wonderland from high up in the rafters, his metallic voice echoing throughout the building, causing the Mad Hatter and his men to jump.

"Who's there?" The Hatter called out as he looked frantically around the room as did his men. Red X took the opportunity to grab the utility belts while everyone was distracted.

"I believe the question that you should have asked was, 'Who are you?'" Red X responded as he switched his positions throughout the building, making sure his location couldn't be pinpointed.

"What do you think you are doing here uninvited, explain yourself?" The Mad Hatter shouted furiously. It wasn't too often that someone taunted him with his own world and words.

"I can't explain myself, I'm afraid, Sir, because I'm not myself you see." Red X quoted yet again. He turned to look at Batman and found that the caped crusader had already freed himself and was moving to help Robin.

The Mad Hatter seemed to calm down somewhat and even smiled. "Ooh, someone who knows how to play! Perhaps you'd like to come to my tea party as well?" Jervis said as he looked towards the area he believed his new quest was at.

"Well, only if you're a good host." Red X replied before he landed silently a few feet away from the now freed Batman and Robin while still invisible. He trotted up to them as they hid behind one of the numerous machines in the building and deactivated his cloaking device.

"Here you two might want these back." He whispered as he tossed them their belts. Robin accepted his with a smile and mouthed back a thank you while Batman completely ignored him. Red X gave them the signal to remain quiet and winked at Robin who winked right back.

"Before I join your tea party though, can you say something for me? Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at." He said out loud and grinned as Jervis let out a yell when he found his two captives missing.

"I want them found, do you understand me? Now!" Hatter yelled at his men. There were twelve of them, which meant six for himself and six for Robin.

"Robin and I will take care of the grunts, you take the Hatter." He said towards the two and saw them both frown, but nod in agreement. As soon as Batman left them Robin turned to him.

"Why'd you do that? I wanted to take the Hatter." He moaned as he moved into position to attack.

"Because the Mad Hatter isn't a fighter. Any of us could have taken him down. This way we get to fight more bad guys and Bats has to sit out on the sidelines." He responded and saw Robin smirk.

"So that's why he looked mad. I thought it was because you told him what to do." He said as he launched his grappling gun.

"Well there's that too." X said and shook his head as Robin disappeared into the shadow as he freaked out the henchmen below with his eerie laugh.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM CITY May 21, 00:37 EST**

Red X stood on the rooftop of the abandoned factory with Batman and Robin watching as Gordon and his men drove off with a screaming Mad Hatter and his crew.

"That guy is not whelmed, not whelmed at all." Robin muttered as the screams died down. "Anyways, thanks for the save back there." Robin said as he patted Red X on the back.

Red X turned to look down and his alternate younger self. This kid was nothing like he had been at thirteen. By that age he'd already morphed into a miniature Batman. He'd never had the carefree and innocent personality that this Robin had and he was glad for that.

He turned his attention to Batman and mentally prepared himself for whatever scolding he was about to receive or witness. His Batman had always been critical and harsh, pointing out his mistakes and failures. Sometime he wouldn't even wait until they were out of the hearing range of others. Gordon had often sent him sympathetic looks whenever he had witnessed those moments.

"Thank you." Batman muttered with a growl. Red X was sure that even his mask couldn't cover his surprise. '_Batman saying thanks? Okay is this dimension called the Twilight Zone?_' His Batman never said thank you to him, and he wasn't even Robin right now! He was just some stranger that they'd met a few hours ago.

"You saved Robin's life and for that, I'm grateful." Red X deflated a little. So he was only thanking him for saving his sidekick? Well that sounded more like his Batman, but still this one was obviously less…Batman-like.

"No problem." He responded simply and was about to turn to leave when a heavy hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Just because you saved us, doesn't mean that I trust you. While you're in Gotham I will be keeping an eye on you." Batman growled as he glared at the young hero.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less Batman." He said a bit more bitterly than he'd wanted. Hopefully Batman would take it as 'I just saved your life and this is how you repay me?' kind of attitude.

He jumped off the ledge and teleported to his X-cycle. As he drove home he wondered what tomorrow would bring.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Yes, chapter two done and out so early! I was told that my fighting scenes could use a little work and hopefully I improved on that in this chapter. Either way, I had a lot of fun writing it, so it's all good.

I got the idea of the Hatter's twisted white rabbit masks from Batman: Arkham City.

In the next chapter Red X meets up with our favorite pair of Archers and gets into a little trouble.

~Hexalys~


	3. Meeting the Archers

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

So far the votes stand as thus:

1. Slade a.k.a. Deathstroke the Terminator- 4

2. Talia Al Ghul- 6

3. The Joker- 2

4. The Light (As in the entire leaders of the light become his arch nemesis instead of just one person from their group.)- 2

5. Other- 1 The Riddler

**jayswing96** asked if the Slade I would use in the story would be TT Slade or new YJ Slade. I would probably have it be YJ Slade, just because I can't see any plausible way for TT Slade to arrive in the YJ universe. I'd like to use TT Slade because I would love the history between the two, but it just doesn't seem possible. I'd have to really think about it, but that's only if Slade is chosen to be Red X's nemesis.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 3: Meeting the Archers

**STAR CITY: May 29, 02:17 EST**

Speedy gazed down at the person surrounded by eighteen thugs and looked back up at his partner, Green Arrow. His mentor shook his head and signaled for him to just watch. Speedy nodded back uncertainly. He looked back down through the roof window and tightened his hand around his bow.

He didn't really understand why they were just watching. They had arrived here to bust up this gangs' heist, but Arrow had stopped him from going in. He guessed that Oliver just wanted to check out this guys' moves before they busted in. Plus, Speedy wasn't sure which side this guy was on.

If he was a hero, he certainly didn't look the part. He was dressed mostly in black with a long cape that was tattered and torn at the end. He had grey gloves that matched his gunmetal belt and had an X on his mask, chest, and hands. His mask had a white skull on it that hardly seemed suitable for something the good guys were supposed to wear. He was tall though not as tall as himself; he was closer to Aqua lad's height. He was muscular, but not overly so.

Speedy tensed as he saw one of the thugs lunge for the skull guy. The skull guy jumped over the thug, launched himself into another man and shot an X shaped weapon at a different thug. Speedy watched in awe and envy as he saw the skull guy, who was probably no older than himself, take down the group with strength and agility he'd yet to obtain.

After ten minutes, all the thugs had been rendered immobile and not one had landed a hit on their attacker. The skull kid brushed off some nonexistent dirt from his shoulder and suddenly disappeared.

"You know, it's not nice to spy on people and it's especially rude to not lend a helping hand to someone who's clearly outnumbered." Someone said in a metallic tone from a few feet away from him and Green Arrow.

He raised his bow up to attack the unknown assailant that hid himself in the nights' shadows, but paused as Green Arrow held up his hand. Frustrated for not knowing about what was happening, Speedy grunted as he lowered his bow a little. He narrowed his eyes as the unknown person revealed himself to be the skull kid.

"Outnumbered yes, but not outmatched." Speedy heard Oliver say as he walked up to stand beside him. He straightened his shoulders and put away his bow. If this guy was stupid enough to take them both on, then it was his funeral.

"I had no idea that you could be so complementary Green Arrow. Your manners are much better than Batman's and since you have been polite to me, I'll return the favor. The name is Red X." The masked kid said as he held out his hand towards Speedy.

"Speedy right? I've heard you're good." Speedy gripped Red X's hand hard before he let go. He decided that even though Red X had questionable taste in clothes, he was a hero.

"So who's your mentor? Is it Black Canary? I heard she's been looking for a partner for a while now." Speedy said as he searched on the nearby rooftops for any sign of Oliver's love interest.

"I'm here on my own." Red X replied in a serious tone.

"Oh so you went solo tonight? That's cool." Speedy said as he shot a glance at Oliver. They had talked about him taking a solo mission every now and then, but Speedy hadn't got the chance yet.

"You misunderstand. I no longer have a mentor. He's gone." Red X said quietly and Speedy gave him a startled look. He missed Green Arrow's sharp and interested gaze as he was too concerned with Red X's reply.

"Do you mean he's… dead?" Speedy asked and Red X nodded.

"He was a good teacher." Red X said as he turned his head to look away from both archers.

"I'm sorry." Speedy said quietly. He subtly looked over at Oliver and wondered not for the first time, what he would do if he ever lost his guardian.

Oliver maybe a goofy pain in the ass most of the time, but he was still the most important person in his life. Speedy looked back at Red X and felt his respect for the young hero grow. It must have taken a lot of strength for him to put on the Red X costume and move forward after his mentors' death. Suddenly Oliver's communicator went off.

"What's wrong?" Speedy asked his mentor as he pulled out his bow.

"It's Count Vertigo. He's attacking the Star City National Bank." Green Arrow said as he turned towards Red X. "Would you like to come? It wouldn't hurt to have another pair of hands on this job."

Speedy stared at his mentor with shock and curiosity. Taking down a bunch of street goons was one thing, but Count Vertigo was in a completely different league.

"I will of course lend a hand when asked, but you should be more discreet next time." Red X said. Oliver seem surprised for a second then he smirked and Speedy felt even more left out of the loop then earlier.

"Can we just go please!" He growled towards them both. Oliver nodded and started to head towards the national bank. Speedy stared at Red X for a second before they both turned to follow Oliver at the same pace.

"I already told you that I met Batman. Naturally he was and still is suspicious of me. He's in regular contact with Green Arrow and the other Justice League members. It only makes sense that Batman would tell the other heroes to be on the lookout for me. He probably asked them to keep tabs on me as well as find out any other information that they can." Red X said quietly to Speedy, making sure that Green Arrow couldn't hear him.

"I wasn't sure if Batman did ask the others to play recon until Green Arrow invited me along. A hero should never bring along a supposed rookie to take on a criminal of Vertigo's standards. He's doing this in hopes that he can find out more information on me." Red X finished. Speedy saw Oliver look back at them suspiciously and slowed his pace a little to ease drop better.

"Hey, Green Arrow may be many things, but subtle is not one of them." Speedy said as smirked towards Red X and even though he couldn't see it, Speedy was sure that the teen was smirking back at him.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**STAR CITY: May 29, 02:30 EST**

Red X stood next to Speedy a little behind Green Arrow as the older archer scanned the inside of the bank. Red X took another glance at Speedy, amazed at the differences this Speedy showed to the Speedy he used to know.

This Speedy was serious, tough, and hadn't checked out his appearance at all so far. While the other Speedy was serious and tough, he was by far the vainest hero Red X had ever met. He was also a bit of a jokester and too arrogant. He didn't know a lot about this Speedy, but he had a little doubt that he was not like his counterpart.

Red X was brought out of his musings as Green Arrow signaled for them to follow him. While Red X had established himself as a hero and not a sidekick, he would follow Green Arrows orders at the moment, if only because this was his first time fighting against Count Vertigo. He of course knew the mans' powers as he did with most of the more powerful villains, but it wouldn't hurt to go after Vertigo with some help. Plus, he was curious to see what this Speedy could do.

Silently, all three heroes jumped down into the darkened room, only for the lights to turn on and find themselves surrounded.

"Next time, I'll check to see if the room is safe." Red X heard Speedy grumble towards a sheepish Green Arrow.

"Hey, I couldn't tell if there was a trap down here, it was too dark." Green Arrow replied as he pulled out his bow.

"I have night vision." Red X said simply and got confused stares from both heroes. "Just so you know for next time." Red X said as he shrugged. He saw both archers smirk and he got into a ready stance.

"There won't be a next time, I'm afraid." They heard someone, no doubt Count Vertigo, say from just beyond the lights reach. "It's always a pleasure to see you again Green Arrow, Speedy, but I'm sorry to say I don't know your new friend." The Count said as he stepped into the light along with his group of thugs.

"The name is Red X." He replied as he counted the amount of grunts.

"Ah yes, I've heard of you. A new young hero who appeared only about a week ago. You've already fought Sportsmaster and the Mad Hatter. I hear Sportsmaster has been most eager for a rematch." Count Vertigo said as his hired help of thirty-two started to surround the three heroes.

Red X shot a look towards the archers and tightened his fist in warning that he was about to attack. They gave subtly nods and he turned his attention back to Count Vertigo.

"After tonight, I'll get to add your defeat to my growing list of achievements." He said as he teleported in front of Count Vertigo and launched a sidekick at him. He knocked Vertigo deeper into the shadows and looked back to see how Green Arrow and Speedy were fairing. The thugs had swarmed onto them, but he could see that the archers were quickly disabling their foes. He launched himself into the shadows to find Vertigo.

Red X turned on his night vision and saw the man just starting to get off the floor. Red X smiled as he heard Vertigo's irregular breathing, the man couldn't take a hit. That usually meant that he couldn't dish out one either. He would only have to watch out for Vertigo's special power in this fight.

He activated his cloaking device to limit Vertigo's sight even more and stalked his enemy, waiting for the fear of the unknown to build and make his opponent uneasy. It was a basic technique that Batman had taught. As he hid in the shadows, the fear of his enemies would grow and they would be more likely to make a mistake.

He frowned as he saw the opposite affect happen on Vertigo. Instead of his breath intake increasing, it slowed down and he seemed to calm. Red X felt like smacking himself upside the head for thinking that Vertigo was like any other punk. They were certainly not like the criminals he Red X used to fight when he'd been a Titan. Vertigo had obviously figured out his strategy. That didn't mean that Vertigo's eye sight had improved at all though.

"A wise move to push me into the shadows like this, but you should have made sure that you were the only one who would gain an advantage in the darkness." Vertigo said as he stared in the opposite direction of Red X and put something over his eyes.

Red X narrowed his eyes in anger and suspicion. He should have kept attacking Vertigo instead of trying to scare him. Now Red X could see that Vertigo had put some sort of tech-goggles over his eyes. Deciding to rectify his mistake, Red X charged towards Vertigo as the man turned to face him.

Suddenly Red X was slammed with extreme imbalance and nausea. His sense of direction was so thrown off course he didn't know which way was up or down and his head started to ache so much he thought it might explode. He struggled to look up and found Vertigo standing over him.

"How?" He grunted as he tried to stand back up onto his feet, though he couldn't remember falling to his knees. How had Vertigo seen through his cloaking device?

"Simple. You assumed that I could only see in night vision like you. These are Thermal imaging goggles; I could easily see your approach because of your body heat." Vertigo said as he kept up his attack on Red X.

"I have to say, you're definitely full of surprises Red X. Teleportation and Invisibility along with whatever tricks you have up your sleeve makes you a dangerous adversary. It would be best if I finish you off now." Vertigo said as he increased the strength of his attack.

"You… f-forgot t-that I… d-didn't come h-here alone." Red X said through gritted teeth.

"What?" Count Vertigo said as he turned to search for an attacker that wasn't there. As quickly as he could, Red X grabbed Vertigo's ankle and activated his electric X, sending volts of red electricity racing through Vertigo's body.

Vertigo screamed for a few seconds before he promptly passed out and crashed into the ground with steam rising up from his still twitching body. Red X laid still for a moment as he tried to regain his bearings. After he was sure he wouldn't throw up, he shakily climbed to his feet and went to check on Vertigo.

The spasms were starting to stop and his breathing was regular, if a little heavy, but Vertigo should be fine. Red X tore off the metal Thermal goggles Vertigo had been wearing and quickly dropped them as he felt heat burn through his gloves. He stared at Count Vertigo's face and saw red blistering burn marks surround the mans' eyes.

Red X grimaced as he stared at the markings that would no doubt leave very ugly scars on Count Vertigo's face. While he felt little pity towards the man who had just tried to turn his brains into mush, Red X knew that Vertigo would never let this go. No criminal would.

Sluggishly, Red X tied up Vertigo and slowly dragged the man back to where he and the archers had come in. He paused as he saw Speedy and Green Arrow finish the remaining thugs and used the time to regain his strength. Vertigo's attack had done a lot more damage then he'd originally thought.

Once Speedy and Arrow finished up the thugs, Red X straightened his posture and tossed Vertigo at Green Arrow's feet. He walked into the light as both archers looked from him to Vertigo in surprise.

"You beat him on your own?" Speedy asked in disbelief, not even he would have been able to take down Vertigo on his own merit. Green Arrow shot Red X a searching look and X met his gaze without blinking.

"I fought him. I doubt I could have defeated him if I was here by myself though." Red X said as he casually leaned up against a nearby crate.

The truth was that throwing Vertigo had taken up what little strength he'd regained and he needed to lean against something or else he'd fall over. He was telling the truth though. Had he come here alone, he wouldn't have been able to trick Count Vertigo to look away and give him the split second he needed to win.

Green Arrow went to check out Vertigo and sucked in his breath as he saw the burn marks that marred Vertigo's face. He looked back up at Red X and glared.

"What the Hell did you do to him kid." Arrow growled and Speedy approached to see what was wrong. The younger hero grimaced as he saw Vertigo's face and also turned to glare at Red X. Red X shrugged before answering.

"What I had to." He knew that he sounded heartless, but he'd really had no other choice. Vertigo had caused him so much pain that he hadn't been able to regulate how much electricity he sent out. It had been a desperate move and it had saved his life.

"Speedy, I'm taking Vertigo to the hospital. Round up these guys and wait for the police to arrive." Arrow said as he carefully picked up Vertigo and turned towards Red X. "As for you, get the Hell out of my city." Arrow growled before he took to the roof tops.

Red X didn't respond as he was too focused on trying to keep his balance. Once Green Arrow was gone, Speedy quickly advanced upon Red X.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing, huh? A hero doesn't ever do that to a person, no matter how evil he may be!" Speedy shouted as he pushed Red X up against the crate he'd been leaning against. Red X didn't say anything as he focused on keeping his mouth closed so he would not throw up. Speedy released him in disgust and Red X fell to the ground as he felt his vision tilt.

He gagged and forced his stomach to settle as he clutched his head in pain. He slowly became aware that he was making small moans of pain as the stabbing ache in his head escalated.

Speedy stared down in shock and worry as he saw the young hero collapse in agony. He quickly bent down and gently rubbed his back. He knew what Red X was suffering from, having experienced the effects of Vertigo's power for himself on more than one occasion, but he'd only seen it this bad once before. Vertigo had used almost all of his power on Green Arrow and he'd ended up in a similar state.

Vertigo had almost killed Green Arrow that time and it looked like he tried to do the same thing to Red X.

After ten minutes the pain started to fade a little and Red X tried to gather what little pride he had left. He always hated looking weak in front of others, it was why he pushed himself so hard and yet, he'd couldn't stay strong in front of Speedy. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and rested his back against the crate as he panted heavily, eyes closed. He didn't need to open them to know that Speedy was still there, no doubt looking at him with concern.

"He'd gotten me, held me down with his power and I have little doubt that he was trying to kill me. My only chance was to distract him by saying that you two were sneaking up behind him. I grabbed his foot and unleashed a surge of electricity into him." Red X paused to catch his breath as another dizzy spell hit him. The nausea came back with vengeance and it took all of his willpower to not throw-up at that moment.

"I didn't have time to measure how much strength to use. I was too heavily damaged to move away from him and my distraction would only by me a second or two. I hadn't meant to hurt him so badly, but it was the only way that I could save myself." Red X said and after a few more minutes he summoned up enough strength to stand up and finally looked at Speedy.

He didn't see hatred in the young heroes eyes only understanding and concern. Red X released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It was good to know that he hadn't blown his chances of starting a friendship with this Speedy. He didn't like the idea of being ostracized by the rest of the hero community and to be honest, his time in this new dimension had been very lonely.

"Are you going to be okay?" Speedy asked bringing Red X out of his musings.

"I should be once I get some rest." He said as he moved to help Speedy tie up the crooks. Speedy grabbed his shoulder and Red X paused.

"Then that's what you should do. I can take care of these guys and I'll talk to Green Arrow when he gets back. You go and get some rest." Speedy said and Red X nodded his head in thanks. Just before Red X disappeared Speedy turned to him.

"Don't worry about what Arrow said, you're welcome here anytime." X nodded again and teleported to his bike where he drove to the abandoned factory outside of Star City that he was staying in and collapsed onto a small cot.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Red X's encounter with Speedy and Green Arrow earns him a lot of respect from the young archer as well as a small friendship. I wanted this so that Speedy will feel like Red X will be the only one who truly understands him when Speedy leaves to become Red Arrow.

I had Red X come up with his own cover story, but it won't fully be explained until later.

Red X's struggle with Count Vertigo was to show that he isn't unbeatable. I want Red X to be one of the best young heroes, but I don't want him to seem all powerful. The scarring that Red X accidentally gave Vertigo will earn him a lot of troubles in the future. Count Vertigo will certainly hold a grudge and want revenge, but he's not going to become Red X's arch-nemesis.

In the next chapter a small Arc starts as Red X gets captured and unwillingly becomes a part of an illegal auction for young heroes.

~Hexalys~


	4. Heroes for Auction Part l

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

So far the votes stand as thus:

1. Slade a.k.a. Deathstroke the Terminator- 9

2. Talia Al Ghul- 8

3. The Joker- 3

4. The Light (As in the entire leaders of the light become his arch nemesis instead of just one person from their group.)- 6

5. Other- 1 (The Riddler); -1 (The Brain)

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 4: Heroes for Auction Part l

**UNKNOWN LOCATION: June 5, 00:58 EST**

Red X grunted in pain as pushed himself off of the hard cold floor. He looked around the small room he was in and realized that he had no idea as to where he was.

He looked down at his ankle and found a thick metal cuff that gave off a quiet buzzing sound, meaning that the cuff was electric. He found that none of his gadgets had been disabled nor had anyone attempted to remove his mask. He could use his powers to try to escape, but he had little doubt that any hostile actions would be greeted with an unknown voltage of electricity.

He stood up to examine the room he was locked in and he tried to find a door, but couldn't, this could mean that one of the small walls themselves was the door. He found a small bed placed against the wall and a camera in the right corner of his cell.

He had been captured. He sat down on his bed and took the meditative stance Raven had taught him long ago.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." He said calmly and repeated the chant until his mind had calmed and he was able to focus his thoughts. He tried to think about the last thing he did before waking up in this cell.

He had been trying to hunt down clues for the heroes who had recently gone missing, Kid Flash and Aqualad. He had been out searching through Gotham when Batman had found him…

…_It had only been a week since his fight with the archers against Count Vertigo and besides the occasional headache, Red X felt like himself again. Speedy had tried to get into contact with him to see if he was okay and Red X had decided to give him the access code to his com link. He had asked Speedy to share the code with Robin, but with no one else. He did not want Batman calling just so that he could be interrogated._

_Red X stood mounted on a gargoyle that overlooked Gotham City. It was his second night searching for the missing sidekicks. He'd gotten the call last night from Speedy and Robin._

_Their friends had disappeared the day before and their mentors had asked them if they knew where Kid Flash and Aqualad could have gone. Robin and Speedy had been forbidden to go out and search for them by their mentors, for fear that whoever had captured the two sidekicks was going after all young heroes._

_They had given him all the information their mentors had discovered and asked for his help. He'd of course agreed and had begun his search. Thanks to Batman, the League and himself, now knew that Kid Flash and Aqualad were somewhere in Gotham._

_"What are you doing here?" Red X heard the gruff voice of his once mentor ask from behind him. Red X turned to look at him and spotted Batman subtly reaching for a Batarang._

_"If you must know, I'm looking for the missing sidekicks." He said in a steely tone. He was not in the mood to be hounded by the Dark Knight. Batman glared at him before he moved to stand beside him. Red X continued to watch his mentor as the man approached. You always had to be on your guard when around Batman._

_"How did you find out about Kid Flash and Aqualad?" Batman asked and Red X returned most of his attention to the city down below._

_"You're the world's greatest detective, figure it out." Red X said in a bored voice. He noticed Batman's clenched fists, but he wouldn't make anything easier for the man. Batman was just another hero here, one who didn't trust Red X. Nobody really trusted him, except for maybe Speedy and Robin._

_"We've come up with a plan, but we need your help." Batman said and Red X turned to look at him with suspicion, his mind already drawing up the basics for Batman's plan._

_"You know that whoever captured Kid Flash and Aqualad is going after young heroes, yet none of you want to risk losing Speedy or Robin." Red X said and almost smirked when Batman let a slight look of surprise show through his stoniness. "The League wants to use me." He said stoically and Batman simply nodded. _

_That's what he liked about being Red X the most; no one sugarcoated anything for him. As an outsider no one felt any need to shelter and protect him. It was almost like he was on equal footing with Batman, but he wasn't fooled. His once mentor was only here because they had no other options, not because he was a friend to the heroes._

_Green Arrow had quickly told the hero society about his fight with Count Vertigo. Some had taken it as a sign that he wasn't fit to be a hero while others just thought that it had been a rookie's mistake. One thing was unanimous in the hero community; he was seemingly inexperienced and young._

_At least the villain community was taking him seriously. Word had quickly spread that he was responsible for Vertigo's new scars and he'd been placed onto the same level of fierceness as the Dark Knight. He had never gotten this much respect when he had simply been known as Robin the Boy Wonder._

_"Will you do it?" Batman asked as he held out a tracking device. Red X nodded and he placed the device on the inside of his left glove to hide it from view. Batman nodded his head in thanks and Red X knew that was the only show of appreciation he was going to get. Hopefully the League would warm up to him if he helped save two of their own_…

Red X stared at the wall in front of him as his memory finally came back to him. He had been attack not even a few hours later and while he could have easily of beaten the thugs who had come after him, he'd let himself be captured.

He discreetly activated the locating device that was still under his glove and waited for what would happen next.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**WATCHTOWER: June 5, 01:10 EST**

Oliver Queen impatiently tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair. Batman had already given his tracking device to Red X and all they could do now was wait. He hated the idea of getting help from Red X. That kid was not fit to be a hero, he didn't care what Roy said.

"I still don't like this." Oliver said out loud to the others in the room. Wonder Woman shot him a look of agreement, but stayed silent. Flash hadn't moved at all during the meeting and Aquaman was just as silent. Superman stood off to the side looking out through the window and down at the Earth while Batman manned the computer, waiting for Red X to activate the tracking device.

"Fortunately, you don't have to like it in order for the plan to work." Batman growled from his seat and Oliver glared at him. He and Batman had been having fights constantly about Red X, for some reason Batman was on the kid's side.

"Why are you defending him? I told you what he did to Vertigo." Oliver asked, searching for a fight.

"Because Robin told me what really happened. You should listen to your partner more Queen." Batman said never looking away from the computer screen. Oliver was about to shout something back when Superman interrupted him.

"What do you mean Batman?" Superman asked and Oliver noticed that the rest of the room was listening to the cape crusader. Oliver bit his tongue and silently paid attention to what Batman was going to say. In all honesty, he hadn't really listened to Roy's explanation about Red X.

"From what Robin told me, Vertigo had tried to kill Red X during their fight. Vertigo had unleashed his full power on Red X and he'd only done what he had too to save his life. He was apparently under too much pain to regulate how much electricity to use which resulted in the scars Vertigo received. He's lucky he isn't dead." Batman said to the rest of the room.

Green Arrow felt somewhat torn. On the one hand he still believed that the kid was a danger to himself and to those around him, but on the other hand he hadn't realized how close the kid came to almost dying at Vertigo's hands.

Flash grimaced at that, imagining Wally in in Red X's position and felt his stomach churning at the thought of his nephew coming that close to death. Fortunately there had been no such situation in the in the two years that Wally had been working with him as Kid Flash… until now. Flash didn't care what Ollie said, if Red X helped saved Wally he'd never doubt the kid's right to be a hero.

Wonder Woman furrowed her eyebrows in concern and shot Green Arrow a heated look, the man seemed to not notice. She was against the children in general at being in the hero business, but she respected her friends' decisions. Now though, one of those children, one who had no mentor, had apparently come close to death. Hera help that young man.

Aquaman closed his eyes and sighed as he reflected upon Batman's words. His heart went out to the lone warrior, a boy on the cusp of manhood. What concerned him the most though was the boy's lack of a mentor. For a brief second he imagined Kaldur in that position, alone with no friend in sight and hanging over that lost Kaldur was the dark shadow of his Father.

"I have experienced those situations more than once. The only thing you can do is brush yourself off and try harder next time." Batman said breaking the permeating silence that had fallen upon the room and the others out of their thoughts concerning Red X.

"Well if he really wasn't at fault, then why did he not say so?'" Diana asked and the others nodded their head in agreement

"Because he didn't want to offer any excuses for himself. Saying that he'd been close to death wouldn't make up for the fact that he has still scarred Vertigo. He doesn't want anyone to think that he's okay with the way that things had happened. His silence allows you to judge him without confliction." Batman answered, easily able to understand Red X's decision.

"But we also judged him without all the facts too." Superman said as he looked out into space. He found himself feeling sorry for the young hero. To be on your own and feel like the whole League was shunning him must have been tough. Now they had the nerve to go up to him and ask for a favor, to put himself in danger in order to save their own. They had really messed things up this time.

"Well he's alright in my books. Anyone who's willing to risk their own neck for Wally is." Flash said in a serious tone that he rarely used and Aquaman nodded his head in agreement. Anyone who saved Kaldur earned his thanks and respect.

A sudden loud beeping rang throughout the room and everyone looked to Batman who was furiously typing away on the computer.

"It's Red X, he's activated the tracking device. It looks like they're by the Gotham harbor, but I can't get an exact fix. There's too much blocking the signal." He said and the others in the room smiled. They didn't have an exact location, but it wouldn't take them long to find the young heroes now.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 02:02 EST**

Red X opened his eyes and stopped his meditation when he heard the sound of his door opening. He looked at the thugs who were approaching him and he resisted the urge to just knock them out and find Kid Flash and Aqualad on his own.

"Careful Red X, you try anything and you'll become a human sized bug zapper." One of the thugs said and Red X nodded his head in understanding. He got up with the thugs and followed them through the dark hallways.

He memorized the paths they were taking until he found himself being pushed into another room that was just like his last one. He waited and listened to the sound that was being made from just beyond his door. It sounded like people, they murmured to each other and Red X figured that there was a decent amount of them out there.

When the doors opened he was greeted to silence and he stepped into the lager room that was shaped like a miniature coliseum. He was in the ring and the observers in the stands stared down at him.

As his eyes adjusted to the light in the arena he saw that the crowd was not filled with your everyday common folk, but with villains. Most were petty grunts and gangsters, but Red X spotted several higher ranking criminals throughout the crowd. He saw men affiliated to Two-Face, Penguin, Luthor, Kobra, and Red X was sure he heard the infamous laughter of the Joker coming from somewhere in the stadium.

His attention moved to the two other doors that opened and he spotted a group of ten thugs move out of both doors. Again his attention was changed as a man in a green suit covered with black question marks took his place on a platform that hovered over the arena. The Riddler looked just like he had in his own world and Red X focused on what the puzzle loving villain was about to say.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming to the first annual Heroes for Auction. We've got three heroes here tonight and they're all dying to show off their skills. Our first item for the night is a new hero, but he's already causing quite a bit of trouble." The Riddler called out to the silent crowd.

Red X listened and watched in silence as the thugs slowly advanced towards him. So he was going to have to fight for the enjoyment of the worst society had to offer and then be auctioned off to the highest bidder? If he didn't fight he had no doubt that he would be electrocuted, plus every minute he spent fighting was another minute Kid Flash and Aqualad didn't have too.

"Riddle me this young hero, when it comes to pirates, what symbol marks the spot for their buried treasure?" He asked and Red X smiled underneath his mask.

"A Red X." He stated calmly and his metallic voice could be heard throughout the stadium, causing some villains to look at him with more interest than others.

The thugs charged at him and stood absolutely still as they continued to get closer, his body slowly tensing up in preparation for the approaching fight. One thug broke ahead of the group and swung at Red X. At the last possible second, he dodged the punch that had been thrown at him and he kneed the attacker in the gut, sending him flying back into the advancing group.

A few men fell over from being hit by the body that had been launched at them, but most had been able to dodge and continued their attack. Red X dodged and weaved through their attacks before he did a quick counterstrike and incapacitated each one. Once the last thug hit the ground Red X turned to look up at a pleased looking Riddler.

"Next." He said simply and the smirk on the Riddler's face vanished. He could hear the boisterous laughter of the Joker from above as well as a murmur of impressed voices. Well, he had wanted to build his reputation, what better way than to fight in front of the most influential criminals in the world.

"Speaking about pirates, what was the one creature that Captain Hook feared the most?" The Riddler called gleefully from above and Red X hid his surprise before he looked up at the Riddler and answered him.

"A Killer Croc." He said and the Riddle smiled down at him.

"Correct." He answered and he pressed a button on his question mark cane. Red X heard the sound of rushing water and he looked back at the door he had come through. As tons of water poured through he spotted the scaly back of his opponent come in with the rushing water.

The water had reached up to his waist as he searched the room for any sign of his opponent. He looked back in front of him just in time to see Killer Croc rise out of the water and lunge at him. Red X did a back flip to avoid being caught in a death roll.

"Come at me boy. I look forward to feasting on your flesh!" Croc shouted as he charged again. Croc still looked as monstrous and terrifying as he always had. Killer Croc towered over him standing at nine feet; his large muscles bulged and flexed with every movement. The dark green scales glowed brightly for a second before the lights above the arena turned off and X activated his night vision.

Croc dove under the water and Red X cursed, his night vision could only see what little light the water reflected, not into it. He didn't jump as he felt something brush up against his leg. He'd known Croc long enough to know that he enjoyed playing with his prey and jumping would only please the lizard.

Red X suddenly felt Croc's powerful tail wrap around his left foot and was pulled into the dark water. He tried to look around him, but he could see nothing. He gasped as he felt claws or teeth dig into his right forearm and he was glad he'd put a breathing apparatus into his mask. X brought out his X wrist blade and stabbed it into the flesh of his enemy. He heard Croc yell as he was released and he quickly stood back up in the water that now reached his shoulders.

"You've got more fight to you than I'd originally thought, prey." Croc growled as he surfaced and Red X could see blood pouring over his face from the cut in his forehead. It had been close. Had his blade been a few inches lower, he might have killed the reptile. Croc charged at him yet again, but his time he attacked while above the water.

Red X brought out his Bo staff to counter Croc's attacks and to help him maneuver better in the still rising water. As Red X continued to avoid his attacker he devised a plan of attack.

Neither of his constrictive nor adhesive weapons would be able to hold Croc. There was a limit to their strength and he doubted they would hold Croc for long. With all this water to act as a conduit his electric X could easily knock Croc out of commission, but then he would also be knocked out. He had to find some way to electrify the water without hurting himself.

Croc lunged at him and he used his teleportation to appear above Croc. He hit Croc's back with his electric X and the reptile cried out in pain before he threw Red X off his back. Red X flew several feet away from his enemy towards the arena wall. Thinking quickly Red X created a large constrictive X that stabbed itself into the wall. He flipped, landed on the X, and turned to see a recovering Croc.

"Is that the best you can do?" Croc shouted as he dove into the water and raced towards Red X.

Red X smiled for a second before he shot several electric X's into the water. Croc screamed and thrashed in pain as the dark water suddenly turned a bright glowing red from the electricity, illuminating the room. After twenty seconds the flow of voltage stopped and only darkness was left after the red light faded from the water.

The Riddler ordered for the water to be drained from the arena and the villains muttered excitedly as they waited to see what had happened. It took a minute for the lights to be turned on and to reveal Red X standing on top of an unconscious and bleeding Killer Croc.

"Next." He called out and smirked at the stunned crowd.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Well, there's chapter four and as you can see, it's not quite done yet! If there's some villain that you want to see him fight next please leave your request in a review.

I set up this auction so that the arch nemesis can finally start to take root in the next chapter. I threw in the Riddler running the auction because **Rogue di WeReWoLf** wanted him to be Red X's nemesis, but it didn't get a lot of votes. I'm sorry that his riddles weren't very clever, but their hard to come up with.

Aqualad and Kid Flash are there, they just haven't gotten the chance to fight… for tonight anyways!

Some of you asked to read about what the Justice League thinks about Red X and I briefly touched up on that in this chapter, but there won't be a lot of their thoughts in the coming chapters. As for Batman sticking up for X, we'll get to see his reasoning in the next chapter.

I hope that the fight between Red X and Croc was satisfying. It was hard to write down what I visualized for the fight to look like.

The polls are still open, so if you haven't voted yet please do. I have to say I was surprised by how many of you wanted the Light to be Red X's arch nemesis. Right now Slade is in the lead, but no matter what happens, every character will be featured at some point in this story.

Next chapter Red X fights some more and his arch-nemesis is finally unveiled.

~Hexalys~


	5. Heroes for Auction Part ll

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, what with the holiday season and all, I became too distracted with my new video game, Skyrim. God that game kicks so much ass! I've mostly been traveling all over the place, visiting family, and spent the last week up at my Dad's, who does not have wireless internet so I was unable to post any new chapters.

I especially apologize to **coldblue**, who seems to be my number fan and I really appreciate your appreciation. It makes me happy to know that you like my story so much. In reality, I have really low confidence in myself, so your comments make me think that I'm better at writing than I'd originally thought.

I want to make one thing perfectly clear, I will _**NEVER**_ abandon a story and I especially will never put this story on hiatus, it's my most popular story!

Okay, so the arch nemesis to Red X has been decided, but you'll just have to read the chapter to see who won. On another note, I haven't decided who will be Red X's love interest, so poll time!

1. Raven (Haven't decided if she will be TT Raven, but her soul sleeping inside of YJ Raven or not.)

2. Talia al Ghul (If I do use her, she'll still have a thing for Batman and will often test both Red X and Batman to see who would be better for her.)

3. Ravager a.k.a. Rose Wilson (Slade's daughter and I'd probably have her be to Red X what Talia is to Batman.)

4. Batgirl (She seemed like the best option considering that she'd have ties to Gotham.)

5. Other

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 5: Heroes for Auction Part ll

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 02:26 EST**

As the stadium continued in its' silence, Red X found it increasingly hard to ignore the state of his body. His previous bout left him panting and tired, though he tried to hide it by taking in shallow breaths.

His body was starting to feel strained, sore, and exhausted, but more importantly was his still bleeding wound. Red X shot a glance at it and saw that Croc had torn through his suit leaving a large gash on his forearm that was bleeding rather heavily. If he didn't get the chance to patch himself up soon he would pass out from blood loss.

"How about we take a closer look at the fight while our little hero here takes care of his injuries." The Riddler said condescendingly as he pressed another button on his cane and the lights in the stadium dimmed a little as a large TV box, much like the ones in a basketball game, turned on just above the stadium.

Red X ignored the TV as six people entered into the ring. Five of them moved to take care of Croc and the sixth one came over to him with a first aid kid. Red X took only the gauze and inspected it to make sure that it hadn't been soaked in poison or something worse. Once the gauze passed his inspection, he nodded his head in thanks to the grunt and after he dressed his injury, he turned his attention to the screens hanging overhead.

There had apparently been thermal imaging and night vision cameras placed throughout the stadium ring, both under and above the water. Red X watched impassively with his arms crossed over his chest and took the chance to rest a little. He didn't know who would be sent out next, but they would be more of a challenge than Croc.

"Let's see how Red X did compared to our other items." The Riddler said and Red X shot a surprised look at the TV screens that hung above him. The screen was split in two down the middle. On the left side of the screen was Kid Flash as he entered the arena and on the right was Aqualad who did the same thing.

Red X watched in apprehension as he witnessed both heroes go through the same trials that he had. When had the other two done these challenges? Hours after they had been captured? Just before he had been captured or while he had still been waiting in his cell?

Kid Flash was quick enough to take down the thugs acting as if it was a game, much like his own Kid Flash would have done. The suits looked similar as did the person who wore them, but Aqualad was a completely different person from the one in his world. Kid Flash tried to escape by running up the wall after taking out the grunts and was electrified for his troubles, leaving the young hero in a poor state to face Killer Croc.

Kid Flash tried to take down Croc, but his speed was useless once the water had risen too high. Croc dragged him under the water and it didn't take long before Kid Flash could no longer hold his breath and passed out. Fortunately, this was an auction and they needed Kid Flash alive. They had drained the water and after much heckling and taunting from the crowd, the Riddler announced that Kid Flash was mostly undamaged.

Aqualad faired better in his fight against Croc, seeing as he was at home in the water. As such, the battle took place under the water and was a little difficult to see, even with the special cameras. Aqualad had tried to match blows with Croc, but soon realized that he was outmatched in the strength department. In the end, Croc had wrapped his tail around Aqualad's chest, crushing it. As a last resort, Aqualad used some sort of power to surge electricity through the water, hurting Croc and himself. He and Croc had both passed out, ending the match in a draw.

"It looks like our best item of the auction is our newest, but perhaps those first two matches were just too easy. The first battle tested item number three's ability to handle many enemies at once. The second was a test of strength or at least how to overcome his opponents' strength, but let's see how Red X handles skill." The Riddler said to the crowd and Red X moved into a ready stance.

The lights turned back onto full power in the stadium ring and the floor was cleared, leaving no evidence that the ring had already held two fights in it. As the door at the opposite end of the ring opened, Red X waited and tried to think about who he would be fighting next.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 02:38 EST**

Batman gritted his teeth in frustration; they had yet to find the missing sidekicks even though they had been looking for over an hour now. The warehouses at the docks were all mostly lined with lead, meaning that Superman's x-ray vision was useless at the moment. He seriously doubted that it was just a coincidence and that whoever had captured the young heroes had just happened to choose an area that was impervious to Superman's sight.

The tracking device he had given to Red X was still working, but the battery could only last so long. He had already tried to get a more precise location, but it seemed that there was more than just lead here, something was blocking his transmitter from giving him a clear location. As he reinitiated his bat tracker, he couldn't help, but worry about the missing sidekicks, especially Red X.

He knew that most of the league was against the young man, but Batman wasn't, how could he be? Once upon a time he too had been a no name hero trying to make a difference. He too had shown up in a dark costume, displayed methods of fighting that the others had questioned and thought to be too brutal, too dark. Red X was just like he had been. So what if the kid made a mistake, he had done it many times.

His mistakes, though, had led to the creation of some of the worst criminals Gotham had ever seen.

The others didn't understand, would never be able to. None of them had suffered like he had, or like Robin. Sure they had witnessed pain, but nothing on the level that the Dark Knight had. Superman, with his happy family living in rural Smallville. The Flash married and still as naïve as the day that he got his speed. Diana, who spent her life sheltered from the rest of the world while growing up in Themyscira.

None of them really knew just how hard life was and how depraved humanity could be.

The world was cruel and wicked. He had tried to shelter Robin from such things, of course his ward knew about suffering having been exposed to it when his parents had been murdered or when patrolling Gotham. Robin still hadn't experienced all the cruelty that life had to offer though.

One day, another superhero, a friend, might die and Dick would have to push on. He just didn't know if his adopted son would be able to handle it and Batman hoped his ward would never have to find out.

Red X though, there was something about that boy. The way he fought and moved was similar to his own style of fighting. His emotionless behavior and intimidating costume were too much like him. He could tell that the young hero could handle it, had maybe already experienced it; the loss of a comrade. Batman felt something inside of him pull towards that boy, and as the world's greatest detective, he would find out what that feeling was.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 02:43 EST**

Red X wasn't really sure who he was fighting, even when the fighters had revealed themselves. One seemed familiar to him, but only because of the white and red cat-like mask that she wore. Her attire was of an oriental style in a dark green fabric with black leggings and bits of armor placed throughout her costume. Her black hair was long and wild, the complete opposite to the girl standing next to her.

The other girls' hair was white, tamed and pulled back into a ponytail. Her costume was a mesh between metal and cloth. Most of it was black and silver with just the slightest bit of orange. What was most troubling, terrifying even, was the cloth mask that cover the top half of her face. Half orange, half black. She stared at him through her mask, leaving him with only a guess as to what her eyes might look like.

He held back a shiver as he remembered the brown, almost black, eye that had always been calculating him. X knew that the girl's costume couldn't be just a coincidence, not with his luck. Red X hated the idea that Slade was in this world too, that he might have taken this girl in as his apprentice. As the two girls, who he was sure were no older than him, moved closer, he forced himself to focus on the fight and to leave his past where it belonged, behind him.

"You know, it seems awfully rude to fight you when I don't know your name." Red X said simply.

He didn't ask outright, he had to play his role as a calm, if a little bored, hero. Inside though, he was a raging storm of emotions. Just the sight of the mask that resembled Slade's brought back feeling he'd thought he was over. Anger was definitely there, but there was also a bit of fear. Slade was the one villain he had never been able to beat. The thought that Slade was in this world, left his heart pounding in anxiety.

"I'm Ravager and that's Cheshire." The Slade look-alike said as she drew out the katana at her waist and Cheshire brought out a pair of Sai. He too pulled out his staff as his mind pointed out that his Slade would have used a Bo staff as well. He wasn't fighting his Slade, though, and to think that Ravager would fight like him would be a grave mistake.

"Tell me, do you know of a man named Slade?" He asked and silently congratulated himself at his monotonic voice. It had never been easy for him to control his emotions when the subject of his most hated rival came up. This was probably the first time that Red X had said the name without growling it.

Ravager suddenly stiffened and she narrowed her eyes at him, confirming his earlier beliefs. Somehow this girl knew Slade and he intended to know everything that she did. She charged at him, sword raised and moved with poise. As he brought up his staff to block her attack, X saw Cheshire moving from behind Ravager, aiming a kick at his unprotected side.

As her heel dug into his side, Red X knocked away Ravager's sword and slammed his staff into the ground using the momentum from Cheshire's kick to spin on his staff and return his own kick toward her. The feeling of his foot connecting to her back and the sound of her crashing into the ground let him know that his attack was effective.

Red X heard the quiet sound of something speeding through the air and he ducked just in time to avoid another strike from Ravager's katana. He again used his stuck into the ground staff to pole-vault himself over Ravager. She turned to face him just in time to receive a back kick to her stomach that sent her crashing into the floor next to Cheshire.

Throughout the entire encounter barely a sound was made beside the small shout of pain and the ring of metal hitting metal. Had Red X bothered to look up at the crowd, he would have seen all of them staring at the match in awe.

Ravager looked to Cheshire as they stood up; Red X freed his staff before he twirled it behind his back and gestured for them to come at him. Red X saw Ravager grit her teeth before she regained her composure and gave him a smirk that made him frown in thought.

There had been many times when he imagined that Slade had been smirking down at him, but it never looked anything like Ravager's smirk. Her smirk was not arrogant or condescending, Hell it wasn't even mean looking. She just looked happy, like she was enjoying the fight and he found himself smirking back at her.

This time Cheshire charged at him, her Sai hidden beneath her long green sleeves. He met her half way, deciding to be on the offensive instead of defensive, and swung low at her legs. She easily jumped over the staff and slashed at his already injured arm.

As quick as he could, Red X pulled back from her, pulling his staff up to block the Sai. As she lunged at him with the other Sai he brought up his right hand and blocked her attack with the X wrist blade now protruding from the back of his hand.

It was only when he saw Ravager's shadow did Red X realize that he'd left himself open for her to attack. As he saw her sword swing towards his head, he teleported behind Cheshire and hit her left side with his staff, knocking her into Ravager. They both staggered for a second, but quickly gained back their footing and charged at him again.

As they slashed at him, Red X realized that the two of them were too much for him to deal with on his own. He would need to take one of them out first and at the moment they had an advantage over him in close combat. Using his acrobatics, he dodged most of their attacks and was able to distance himself from them with the use of teleportation and back handsprings.

Red X panted heavily as he laid a hand on his bleeding side. One of them had been able to cut him and even though the cut was superficial, it was a message that clearly stated that he was in trouble. Both Cheshire and Ravager were extremely skilled, together they made a deadly duo.

Again the girls charged at him and Red X shot out several X shuriken, while Cheshire had merely dodged them, Ravager made a show of knocking each one of them out of the air. Through her mask he could see her raise an eyebrow, obviously not impressed. He smiled as he once again shot out his trademark weapons at her, but used electric X's instead of the regular shuriken.

Just as before Cheshire dodged and Ravager moved to knock away his attack once more. The smug look she was sending disappeared as she screamed out in pain when an electric X made contact to her metal katana, conducting the surge through the handle and into her body. She dropped to the floor, her hand smoking slightly and X scrunched his nose at the smell of burnt flesh.

He didn't have long too see how effective his attack had been as Cheshire was already on top of him, her Sai seemingly thirsting for his blood. Even though it was much easier to fight her one-on-one, Cheshire was still very skilled and hand-to-hand seemed to be her specialty.

As he moved to block a spin kick, Red X realized too late that it was just a feint and her elbow came crashing down into his previously injured arm while her knee came up from underneath. Just before her attack connected, X knew that she would more than likely shatter his forearm.

Just as he predicted, her limbs stabbed into his own. His arm, trapped in a fissure between the two different forces, snapped and it was audible throughout the quiet stadium. For his part, he didn't scream, only grunted and having already known what was going to happen had let him prepare a counterattack.

Red X brought his broken arm close to his chest and delivered a powerful spin kick to the side of Cheshire's head. She had been unable to dodge as she had sacrificed her footing in order to break his arm. The powerful kick launched her several feet away and Red X had little doubt that she was now unconscious, but he shot an adhesive X to bind her movement just in case.

Suddenly, he felt pain in his back and was hurtling towards the ground. Once he made contact with the floor he rolled to the left and felt something smash into the place he had just vacated. He looked up and saw Ravager standing above him, katana in her left hand and her body slightly charred looking. Red X shot a glance at her right hand and saw large blisters start to swell up.

He pushed himself off the ground with his left hand, his broken right arm falling uselessly to his side and noted that neither of them would be using their right hands for the rest of the fight. As she shot towards him with her sword, X used his wrist blade to block it and noticed the lack of power behind her strike. As he continued to parry her attacks, it became blatantly obvious that she was not ambidextrous like he was. She couldn't wield her sword well with her left hand.

It hadn't taken Ravager long to realize that she would do a better job of fighting without the sword, so now they battled with nothing more than their bodies. Red X grimaced as he blocked another punch. His arm was causing him absolute agony, he was only grateful that his mask now fully covered his face.

He was taken off guard as her leg slammed into his knee, knocking him down into a kneeling position. As she moved to deliver a haymaker at his head, he swept her legs out from under her. As she started to fall, he used his teleportation to appear under her and mule kicked her into the air with all his might. Again he teleported to the height of her climax to appear above her and delivered his own haymaker into her stomach.

She slammed into the ground, hard. The floor cracked a little bit under the sudden pressure and Red X knew she was out cold. Still, he shot an adhesive X at her, like he had done to Cheshire, just to make sure that this battle really was over.

He looked up at the silent audience, holding his broken arm close. His body was riddled with shallow cuts and many new bruises. X wanted nothing more than to collapse and join the two other fighters on the floor in blissful unconsciousness. After he finally caught his breath, Red X straightened his position, something that was excruciatingly painful for his beaten and worn body, and said one word.

"Next."

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 03:04 EST**

Such potential.

Staring down at the child left no question in the mind of the shady figure who had been watching the fights from a private area in the stands. There of course had to be a VIP's section, the super villains would have thrown a fit at being seated next to the common rabble.

The VIP area was a rather large balcony that gave a perfect view to the fights down below. Tables had been setup throughout the balcony and each had already been claimed by the villains there. It was like being in a fancy restaurant, perhaps even better than the infamous Ice Lounge, though the Penguin refused to admit it.

The shadowed person couldn't help, but smile at the skill the young hero had displayed throughout all of his matches. To take down Croc was one thing, but to take down both Cheshire and Ravager was something completely different. As the figure watched the young hero steady himself for the approaching challenge, the dark character listened to the snippets of conversations from those throughout the room.

Luthor was impressed, though he said he had no desire to buy any of the sidekicks that were up for auction. He was simply here to be entertained. Good, that meant that there were no worries that the wealthiest man in America would try buying the boy.

The Joker, well he just laughed, although there was a look in his eyes that meant more than just his usual insanity. The person made a mental note to keep an eye Gotham's most dangerous criminal. Now if Robin had been up for sale, the clown proclaimed that he would have nabbed the boy up in a second, even if he didn't win the bidding.

The figure noticed that he was not the only one who was studying the boy extensively. Ra's al Ghul was looking at the hero with interest, but it was the look on his daughter's face that was the problem. Her look displayed nothing, but approval. Approval of what the person didn't know, but no good could come from it.

The shadowed figure looked over at the high ranking mafia boss, Carmine Falcone. The Italian talked about the great potential Red X had in becoming a thief, causing the hidden person to glare at said man. Falcone must have felt the heavy gaze; the man searched the room and found the eye that was causing his sudden unease. Once Falcone realized exactly who was glaring at him, the man quickly paled and tried to distance himself from the figure's steely gaze.

If one were took look closely, they would see that all of the tables that surrounded the figure covered in darkness had been moved as far away as they possibly could without making their occupants unease completely obvious. Even then, most of the people in the room would agree that they were still much too close to the shady figure.

The shady figure, who had yet to move once since the fighting had started and was known as one of the worlds most talented and dangerous criminals. The person whose eye never stopped studying the young hero below. The being that was known to the world as its' deadliest assassin.

Deathstroke the Terminator.

~Young Justice: Red X~

So Slade or Deathstroke, as I will mostly be calling him, won the poll and is now the official arch-nemesis for Red X. At the moment he's still YJ Slade, but I could always though in a plot device if you guys want him to gain the memories of TT Slade in some way. Right now though, he's Deathstroke, the badass sword wielding and gun slinging assassin that has taken an interest in the new young hero Red X.

If I did give him TT Slade's memories or whatever, it wouldn't happen for a little while. I want to keep Red X's identity a secret from everyone for now. It might also fuel Deathstroke's interest in Red X if he is unable to find out who X really is.

I know that half of you are disappointed, but cheer up! Just because Deathstroke won the arch-nemesis poll, that doesn't mean that all you're going to read about now is his schemes and fights with Red X. X will be fighting against many different villains in this story, so there are plenty of chances for Red X to have a few tussles with Talia.

Okay so some of you guys were pushing to see Rose in this and other than her making an appearance in Justice League: Crisis of Two Worlds, I've never seen her in the animated world. Yes she's been in the original Teen Titan comics, but I've honestly never read them nor do I have the desire too. I'm not the comic book type! Anyways, I threw her in here along with Talia to make it easier to write if either one becomes Red X's love interest, but that all depends on the poll.

I've decided to switch up Rose's past, as well as Slade's. I won't go into detail now as it will be explained in the story later. I don't have a picture of Rose in her costume or anything, but you can get an idea about what she looks like with the help of Google.

I went a little deeper into Batman's thoughts and feelings concerning Red X, though I didn't dig too deep. Maybe some of you even noticed the odd way the Joker reacted to seeing Red X. The two seem to realize that there's more to Red X than what lays on the surface. Red X is essentially, still Robin and I think it best to keep his ties too Gotham.

**Gr8pes** said that Red X still seemed too strong and after reading through the last chapter, I realized they were right. That was the reason for why I emphasized his physical state at the beginning of the chapter and beat him up so bad at the end of it. I really don't like seeing Red X lose, ever, but getting a good beating, now that's different.

Next chapter will be the last part of the Heroes for Auction Arc.

~Hexalys~


	6. Heroes for Auction Part lll

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

Rejoice my readers, for I have posted another chapter! You guys really got me, dare I say it, giddy after reading all of your reviews. Seriously, we're past the 100 review mark and that's calls for a celebration. So as a thank you to you all, I present with the longest chapter so far for ~Young Justice: Red X~.

I see that about half of you guys are pushing for Deathstroke to gain TT Slade's memories at a later point in the story while the other half wants Deathstroke to have no connection to the TT Slade. So I'm putting it to a vote, I could honestly write the story either way and even though I kinda like the idea of Deathstroke gaining TT Slade's memories, I don't want to do it if all of you guys hate the idea. So…

Poll time!

1. Deathstroke gains TT Slade's memories

2. Deathstroke remains as YJ Slade

Okay so I think it's important to explain how any love interest that involves Red X is gonna work. As we all know very well, TT Robin always tried to ignore his feelings for Starfire and that hasn't changed about him yet. When he does start to actually display his feelings towards his pairing, it won't be for a long while. It will mostly be his pairing who will do most of the emotional display; however the way they display it depends on whoever is chosen.

Also some of you guys said the Red X should still have feelings for Starfire and that would be his drive to return home. Honestly, he still hasn't gotten over Starfire yet and we'll see him handle that in the future, but I truthfully have no intention on Red X trying to get back home.

I liked the idea of him getting a fresh start in the YJ World, I do have plans that involves the Teen Titans in the future, but it will be similar to the Heroes for Auction Ark. You know, not a major plot point in the story, but still somewhat important. Now before any of you get your hopes up, the only Titan I've decided to make an appearance is Raven, whether she is chosen as Red X's pairing or not.

So far the votes for who will be Red X's love interest stand as thus:

1. Raven (Haven't decided if she will be TT Raven, but with her soul sleeping inside of YJ Raven or not. I should say that I've put her age at 15.)- 5

2. Talia al Ghul (If I do use her, she'll still have a thing for Batman and will often test both Red X and Batman to see who would be better for her. I should say that I've put her age at 24.)- 1

3. Ravager a.k.a. Rose Wilson (Slade's daughter and I'd probably have her be to Red X what Talia is to Batman. I should say that I've put her age at 17.)- 7

4. Batgirl (She seemed like the best option considering that she'd have ties to Gotham. I should say that I've put her age at 16.)- 5

5. Other- Powergirl- 2; Artemis- 3; Speedy- 1

**Evil Soul** asked about Red X's civilian identity which will be introduced in the next chapter and a lot of your other questions will be answered. Red X's costume is exactly the same from the show, but I decided to keep the steel toed boots.

**Evil Soul** also said this:

"With regards to Red X's skill level, I'd like to point out that he has eight years exp. In this world Superman first appeared ten years ago, with Batman following a year later (though given Batman's tendency towards stealth, I'll concede that he could have been operating longer than that). This makes him one of the most skilled heroes in this world, having been operating longer than most members of the Justice League. He's trained under his world's Batman, Slade and the True Master (Chu Hui - female, not male), operated as a solo hero and as the leader of a team of meta humans (who he can easily beat even when they've teamed up against him and he's trying not to hurt them; TT season one, ep 'Apprentice pt1+2'). He's held his own in one on one fights with Slade (who in comics is better that even Batman) and survived Trigon with only Slade backing him up (in your story I mean)."

I completely agree with you **Evil Soul**. However, I was afraid that I would make Red X too powerful so I dulled down his abilities and history, but now that you've pointed this out to me, I feel like improving on Red X's abilities in the future.

To **Anbu Fox**, Ravager is not a sister to anyone in this story. I just had her fight with Cheshire so Red X could have more of a challenge.

Someone said that they are confused because I wrote that Red X was the first fighter for the night, but had shown clips that showed Kid Flash and Aqualad had already fought before him. That's because Red X was the first fighter of the night. Kid Flash and Aqualad had done those fights the night before. Remember, they've been captured for two days now. I'm sorry if that was a little confusing.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 6: Heroes for Auction Part lll

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 03:16 EST**

He didn't get it, and that was what was really weird about it. He usually got things, could understand things that no one else could, but this Red X puzzled him. He didn't like being puzzled. That second rate villain, Riddle Master or Quizzer or whatever his name was enjoyed them, but not him.

He got things, Hell he even understood Batman! So why couldn't he get this kid and really, what was so puzzling about him? He showed up not even two weeks ago, taking on a few B rank villains and somehow being able to come out on top.

He supposed it wasn't unusual that he didn't know much about Xy, but that wasn't what was really bothering him. As he looked up at the replay of the kid's fight against the two "skilled" fighters, his eyes widened in delight and disbelief.

That was why the damn kid had sparked his interest, he fought like the Bat!

Uncontrollable laughter bubbled out of his mouth as he threw his head back in sheer joy. He loved how he was the only one who could see where the kid got his moves, how he had picked up on it before anyone else had. He had to stuff his fist into his mouth to stop laughing in order to focus on the replay.

As he continued to study Xy, he noticed most of his aerial moves looked like Bird Boy's. The kid delivered punches and kicks like Batman, but moved and dodged like Robin.

How soooo very interesting!

His smile disappeared for a second as he saw the way the kid blocked the girl's sword with his staff. He could remember many a time when Bird Brain had used a staff, but never like the way Xy was using it and to his extensive knowledge, which was very thorough mind you, he knew Batsy never used a staff to fight with.

Whenever Xy lashed out with his staff, he always went for the most tender areas and hit them, hard. He laughed once again as some of the villains in the crowd flinch and groaned in sympathy for the replay of the two girls whenever they were hit by the steel staff.

The boy was absolutely brutal!

Even more puzzling, was that it looked nothing like the kind of style Batman would use. Then again, what did he know about Kung-Phooey fighting forms? Oh, Batsy was harsh, but only with his fists; rarely did he use a weapon to beat down on his enemies. He supposed the kid used the staff to make up for his lack of physical strength, but from the looks of Xy he didn't think that his punches would feel weak like Bird Boy's.

Still, he knew that this kid was somehow tied to the Dork Knight. Also the kid had picked Gotham as his starting point. Gotham was his city; it belonged to him, the Clown Prince of Crime. Whether the kid had meant to or not, he had gained the interest of Gotham's worst criminal, the Joker.

He laughed louder than before.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 03:18 EST**

Red X had regained his breathing while a replay of his fight with Cheshire and Ravager was shown on the TV screens. Some grunts had already come in and removed the two girls, though they had spent a good five minutes each by trying to get them out of the red adhesive.

Cheshire had come too once she had been freed and had bowed to him before she had walked off the floor while carrying a still unconscious Ravager. The grunts were still there, trying to clear away the red gunk from the arena's floor. No medic had come out to tend to his injuries this time.

Red X looked down at his broken and bleeding arm.

He was going to have another fight and he couldn't risk damaging it more than he already had. He fired a constrictive X that bound itself tightly around his arm, making him flinch in pain. It was the best kind of support he could offer his arm at the moment. Hopefully the X would provide enough protection against further attacks and keep his fractured bones in place.

He looked up at the screen and reviewed his fighting skills. He hadn't used his invisibility in the fight because he hadn't wanted to reveal all of his powers. Now that he could see the fight from a different perspective, he could see that his invisibility would have given him an advantage against two fighters, but he had to take into account that both girls could have been trained to detect the unseen.

He ran a scan on his regenerative Xenothium core and nearly cursed out loud as he read that he only had 12% of power left. He ran the power usage for his abilities through his head. That only left him with a maximum of teleporting twelve more times, meaning he should only teleport in an emergency. His X shuriken didn't take up too much power, but he definitely couldn't use anymore electric X's, they took 6% of power to make. X adhesive was also gone from his list of options.

It looked like he would have to rely on his physical abilities for the rest of his fights.

He heard a familiar insane laughter from above and as he looked past the TV he saw a balcony full of the most dangerous and renowned criminals in the world. He couldn't make out most of them, only those closest to him and the ones who stuck out like a sore thumb. As his eyes searched through the crowd, he found something that made his heart stop in cold dread.

A flash of orange, a metal mask, and that single dark eye staring down at him. His eyes widened and he searched through the crowd frantically. It was impossible! As he continued to search for several minutes, his racing pulse started to slow down and he took in a calming breath. It was just his imagination; Ravager's outfit had stirred up old memories.

Surely, if Slade had been up there, he would have made his presence known.

Tearing his eyes away from the crowd after a few minutes more minutes of searching, he closed his eyes and quietly repeated Raven's chant under his breath to help him calm down. He was tired and not in the best of health. He really didn't know how much more he could take and he could only hope that help would come soon. Where was the Justice League?

Where was Batman?

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 03:20 EST**

Kaldur laid on the small bed that had been provided for him in his small cell. He had been delivered food and water throughout the day, but hadn't eaten any of it. He didn't put it past his captors to have poisoned the food in some way.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been captured, though he was sure only two days at the most had passed.

He'd been caught while fighting on the surface world. His King had given him the okay to run a solo mission, but something had gone wrong. All Kaldur could remember was being surrounded by several men and that they had used some sort of knockout gas on him.

He had come to a few hours later and had then been dragged out into an arena to fight for an auction. His first fight had gone well enough, as he had been allowed the use of his weapons, the thugs proved to be no match. His second bout had ended in a draw, leaving him unconscious for an unknown amount of time.

He wondered not for the first time, if he was the only sidekick caught up in this auction ordeal. Were Speedy, Robin, and Kid Flash somewhere here too or perhaps one of the heroes had been captured? Was his King alright, had he been captured as well, or was he searching for him right now?

Once he'd had those thoughts, his questions wandered into a darker territory. What would happen if he was not saved by the time the bidding would begin? Would he even be present there or would he simply be dragged off to the person who had won him? He knew that he had no way to escape on his own, what with most of the villain community surrounding him and the electric cuff attached to his leg.

His chances of escape were slim to none.

If he was bought by someone, he wondered whom it would be. He didn't have many enemies and those who hated his King were mostly aquatic life forms like himself. If there was anyone who would buy him, Kaldur would bet it was Trident, but he knew that the narcissistic criminal would never venture into the surface world.

Kaldur was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of the door to his cell opening. As he slowly sat up, the two thugs motioned for him to follow them. While he walked through the dark hallway, he resisted the urge to simply knockout his entourage and see if he could escape. He didn't make a break for it for two reasons. One, because he did not know the way out and two, because there could also be another hero trapped down here with him.

Just like before, he was brought to the same room that lead to the arena and his unease increased. Would he have to fight again or would the bidding finally begin? As the door opened, he narrowed his eyes at the bright and harsh lights that lit the stadium floor. Carefully, he walked out into the stadium and saw two other people there.

One was Kid Flash, who waved at him ecstatically from the other side of the arena. Kaldur smiled in relief. He felt that facing what was to come would be easier now that he was in the company of a friend.

His relieved face quickly turned into one of seriousness as he turned his attention to the other unknown person in the arena. This person was dressed in mostly black with red and grey placed throughout his costume. His mask looked like a skull that had a red X on it. He looked like no hero, but then again Batman didn't look very friendly either.

As he continued to study the skull masked man, he noticed the injuries that riddled his body. There were cuts throughout his suit and his arm was held close to his chest. The person looked back at him with an unnerving stare, never blinking once.

Not knowing what was to come, Kaldur pulled out his weapons and Kid Flash was by his side in a second. He nodded to the speedster, but focused on the skull masked character in front of him.

"So is this guy good or bad?" Kid Flash asked from beside him and Kaldur simply shrugged his shoulders. It looked like they would just have to wait and see.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 03:23 EST**

Red X stared in not shock, but in something akin to disbelief as he watched both Aqualad and Kid Flash enter the arena. Were they his next match or were they going to start the bidding now? His eyes took in Kid Flash's appearance and he had little doubt that the boy who wore the suit was this dimension's Wally West.

As he looked at Aqualad, he knew that this Atlantian was not the same one that he had accepted as a friend and fellow Titan. As Red X studied the new Aqualad he found himself also being studied. Kid Flash didn't pay him too much attention, but Aqualad did. He met the young man's gaze and after a moment the young hero looked away and brought out his weapons. Kid Flash was standing next to Aqualad, also readying himself for a fight.

"Now for our last match of the night, a free-for-all among our items before we begin the bidding." The Riddler called from above and the crowd roared with excitement. "Our final fight, Aqualad vs. Kid Flash vs. Red X!" The Riddler shouted over the yelling masses and surprisingly Red X could hear a few shouting his name.

"Red X?" Kaldur said to himself as he looked at his opponent. He did not know much about the new hero, only that Red X had made a mistake in a fight that had involved the archers. As he looked over at the hero, he realized that Red X must have just had his fights. Had this new hero beaten Killer Croc on his own?

Kid Flash smiled to himself in relief as he heard who their opponent was. Robin had told him all he knew about Red X and while it was good to know that he wasn't actually going to have to fight someone super evil, he was still a little worried. They honestly didn't know a lot about Red X.

"I will not fight." Kaldur called out to the Riddler. He saw the man reach for his cane and suddenly remembered the metal cuff attached to his leg. As he braced himself for the surge of electricity he knew was to come, Kaldur saw something red fly towards him in his peripheral vision and dodged it.

Kaldur looked back at Red X and saw his palm facing toward him and Kid Flash. Another red object flew out of the X in the other heroes palm and he dodged the weapon yet again. He shot a look of confusion at the other hero. Had they been wrong? Was Red X really a villain this entire time?

Red X charged at them, his steel staff at his side and as he noticed Kid Flash race towards him, he teleported in front of Aqualad and swung his staff down at the hero. Aqualad had raised his water weapons up in time to block the attack and Red X took his chance.

"If we don't fight, they'll only electrocute us until we agree to. For now it's best to play along and buy time until the Justice League can get here." Red X said quietly to Aqualad and saw understanding flash through the hero's eyes.

"But I still do not wish to fight you, you are injured." Aqualad said as he threw off Red X's staff and blocked another strike.

"Then don't think of this as a fight. Think of it as a spar." Red X responded before he jumped back to avoid the strike Kid Flash had launched at his side. As he moved further away from the two other heroes, he could see Aqualad quietly explain the plan to Kid Flash who nodded in understanding.

As they readied themselves for his next attack, Red X could only hope that the Justice League would get here soon.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 03:23 EST**

Batman growled as the scan once again failed to narrow down the exact location of Red X. The tracking device had been activated for one hour and fifty three minutes and yet he was still no closer to finding Red X than when he'd first started.

As he boost the signal to the max and reentered algorithms to help with the calculations, his tracking device went to work once again. He saw the signal come to life at the harbor, broadcasting in a large radius and almost growled again when suddenly he saw the red radius start to grow smaller.

A triumphant smirk made its way onto his face as he finally locked onto the coordinates of his tracking device. He sent out the coordinates to the rest of the Justice League and flew the Bat Wing to warehouse nine.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 03:25 EST**

Deathstroke noticed the Riddler make an appearance before anyone else did. The puzzle loving crook twirled his cane as he watched the match between the heroes below before he cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.

"While the crowd enjoys this little match, I thought it best to get the bidding underway." The Riddler said simply as he stood in front of them calmly. "Let's get the first item out of the way shall we? We'll begin with the young Atlantian, Aqualad. Do I hear twenty thousand?"

Deathstroke ignored the voices in the room as he continued to watch the match below. They obviously weren't really fighting; they were simply doing what they needed to in order to not get shocked. Still, even in the exhibition match, Red X was beating Aqualad and Kid Flash.

As he barely paid attention to the auction, Deathstroke heard Aqualad be bought by Black Manta and then Kid Flash was bought by Captain Boomerang. As the bidding for Red X began, he waited for the small fry to outbid each other before he spoke.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand." He called out beating the last bid by thirty thousand. He saw have the room gulp when they realized who had placed the bid. The Riddler seemed overjoyed at the amount of money his least famous item had brought him.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand going once, twice, and-" The Riddler never finished his sentence as he was interrupted by a siren going off throughout the room. The man quickly paled as he ran out to see what was happening and most of the villains just sighed. They had figured that the Justice League would have eventually found them; it had only been a matter of time.

The villains made their way off of the balcony, leaving the Riddler and lower criminals in the stands to deal with the Justice League as they made their way out of the warehouse throughout the many exit's the Riddler had setup ahead of time.

Deathstroke stood alone on the now empty balcony as he stared down at the prize that had just escaped his grasp. No matter, he would keep a close eye on Red X.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM HARBOR: June 5, 03:29 EST**

Red X panted heavily as he barely blocked the water-like mace that Aqualad had sent at him. His injuries and his exhaustion, were taking their toll on him. He found that he could barely keep up with Aqualad and Kid Flash. As he did a backhand spring to avoid Kid Flash, his system gave him another warning on how much power he had left.

He was only running at 9% now.

Kid Flash and Aqualad sent him another worried look; Red X knew that his poor condition had become very apparent. He couldn't collapse yet, though, they still needed time. As he caught his second wind he stood up and charged at the two heroes once again.

Kid Flash charged at him first. The easiest flaw to notice in the speedsters attack pattern was that he always fought head-on, even when that approach proved useless. Red X timed it just right as he launched himself into a forward roll and smashed into Kid Flash's legs, hurtling the boy over him and smashing into the ground.

Red X pushed out of his roll and dived at Aqualad who raised his water weapons and had them take the form of a shield to block his kick. Red X used the strength of the water shield and the momentum behind his kick to push off in a back flip to dodge Aqualad's counterattack.

Red X heard Kid Flash get off the floor from behind him as he charged at Aqualad again. He dodged the strike Aqualad sent at him by crouching and used his staff to sweep the Aqualad's legs out from under him. Red X then launched himself into the air to avoid Kid Flash who tripped over Aqualad and fell over, sprawled on top of the Atlantian.

Red X once again distanced himself from them and shot out several X shuriken. Kid Flash raised both of his arms and moved them in a fast circle, creating two miniature hurricanes that knocked away the red weapons.

Aqualad and Kid Flash regained their footing and as Red X moved to attack again, a red light flashed rapidly from above as a shrill siren rang throughout the arena. Red X came to the conclusion that the Justice League had finally found them and he smiled in relief.

The crowd of villain's reaction was quite different from his, they were in pandemonium.

They pushed and shoved at each other, obviously coming to the same conclusion as him, as they tried to find an exit before the heroes could show up for their sidekicks. Red X could hear the Riddler shouting and screaming from above, demanding to know who could of possible have found his location.

Knowing that this was their perfect chance to escape he shot a powerful electric X at the electric cuff on his ankle and smiled as the power surge overloaded it, rendering it useless. As he tore off the cuff he noticed Aqualad use his own electric abilities to free himself and Kid Flash.

"The Justice League?" Aqualad asked as Red X approached him and X nodded. He saw the Atlantian give a small smile and Kid Flash shouted in victory. However, Aqualad's smile didn't last long before his seriousness returned.

"What now? Do we wait or do we attack?" He asked and Red X felt like he was once again Robin, leader of the Titans and Cyborg was asking him what to do. He shook himself out of old memories, he was not Robin and the Titans were not here.

"You can do what you want, but I suggest you two stick together no matter what decision you make. I'm going after the Riddler." He said and moved to jump out of the stadium, only to crash into a now visible force field. He heard laughter from above and looked up to see the Riddler grinning down at him.

"Did you really think that escaping me would be that easy? I've already sold each of you and I intend to not walk away from this unrewarded." The Riddler called down and the arena doors opened up, letting in a mob of grunts. Red X moved to regroup with Aqualad and Kid Flash.

"Would it not be easier to just use the doors in the arena to escape?" Aqualad asked Red X as grunts continued to pour into the room.

"No, we have no idea what's beyond those doors. For all we know we could run into a previously set trap, or something worse. This arena is the probably the largest room in the Riddler's hideout, making our chances of running into the League here higher than running through random tunnels." Red X stated as Kid Flash bolted into the mob without a second thought to the two other heroes with him.

"I can break us out of this barrier, but you two need to stick with me. The opening will last only a few seconds." He said and Aqualad nodded as he an off to tell Kid Flash their plan. Red X brought out his staff with his good arm as a small group of ten thugs surrounded him.

"Trust me; you don't want any of this." He said with a growl, his calm and cool attitude failing him at the moment. He was much too tired and irritated to deal with these useless thugs.

After he had quickly beaten them, Aqualad found him with Kid Flash. He nodded to them and after Aqualad gave him a boost, he was launched into the air and used his X portal.

A small glowing X flew upwards and rapidly increased in size before it slammed into the barrier, burning through it and holding it open as X went through it. Behind him, Kid Flash had raced up the wall and launched himself through the giant opening as Aqualad used his water weapons as propulsion to shoot up through the air just before the opening closed.

As Red X stood in the now abandoned stands next to Aqualad and Kid Flash his suit showed that he only had 2% of power left. He looked down at the mob now trapped in the arena before he looked for the Riddler.

He saw the man running across a walkway above his head that lead to a ladder, no doubt it was an exit. Ignoring Aqualad and Kid Flash, he launched himself up at the walkway and chased after the Riddler. Just as the Riddler was about to reach the ladder, Red X launched a constrictive X at the villain and smiled as the criminal crashed into the floor.

His suit told him that he was now running on emergency power, but it didn't matter much at this point. The mission was over and the League was here. Just as he pulled the Riddler up to his feet, Superman punched through the ceiling. Kid Flash quickly flagged him over and Wonder Woman came through not too long after. Apparently, not all of the criminals had made it out in time and the rest of the Justice League was gathering up the stragglers.

As Red X moved towards Superman, Wonder Woman, Aqualad, and Kid Flash, he picked up bits of what they were saying. Kid Flash was talking about his matches in a fast pace to Wonder Woman while Aqualad was calmly telling Superman about his own experience.

As he approached them, Superman turned to look at him and smiled. Without thinking, he smiled back. Superman had always been good company especially after he'd had a fight with Batman about something or other. He could never turn to Alfred in those situations. The butler never chose a side in those arguments, but was always willing to listen and offer advice.

Superman or Clark, as he'd asked to be called, always offered him support even if he'd known that the young sidekick had been in the wrong. Superman's constant support and cheerfulness balanced out Batman's constant putdowns and depressiveness.

Superman offered him a hand to fly him up out of the stadium and he accepted. Thinking he wouldn't have had to if he had kept his grappling gun with him. Today had taught him a valuable lesson; he'd been relying on his suits abilities too much. After tonight, he would restock his belt to carry some of the weapons he'd used as Robin.

As he was brought up to the roof of the building they were in, a warehouse at the harbor he noticed, Wonder Woman brought up Aqualad and Kid Flash with her. Superman had let go of Red X once they were on the roof and passed the Riddler off to the Martian Manhunter.

Red X backed off into a corner of shadows as he saw the Flash and Aquaman shower attention and concern over their missing protégés. A hollow feeling welled up inside of Red X as he saw them interact and he realized that there was no one in this world who had worried about him like that.

There was no Alfred, Clark or Teen Titans here for him.

Red X was startled out of his thoughts as a large hand came to rest on his shoulder. He looked up into a familiar face that held a very unfamiliar expression. Batman was staring down at him in concern. Batman never looked at him in concern, only Bruce Wayne did and those times had been far too few.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly so that the rest of the League wouldn't hear. Red X saw that the Martian Manthunter was looking at them as was Superman, but the others attentions were solely on Kid Flash as he was telling a very animated and exaggerated story of his fights.

"I'm fine." He said and cringed inwardly at how tired and weak his voice sounded to his own ears. Batman's expression didn't lighten up or fix into his usual scowl, but turned into one of understanding.

"I can help with your injuries." Batman offered as he looked down at the cuts that marred Red X's body and the younger boy was grateful that he'd had the hindsight to hide his injured arm behind his long cape. He nodded his head in thanks, but quickly stepped away from his almost mentor.

Red X had very little doubt that if he left with Batman or the League, he would be subjected to questioning and he was not ready for that just yet. He saw Batman take a step back in understanding and Red X turned to the shadows, ready to move back to his hideout and take care of his injuries.

"Wait!" He heard Aquaman call out from behind him. He turned to the Atlantian King as the man walked up to him alongside the Flash. "You have my greatest thanks for saving Kaldur. You are always welcome in my kingdom Red X." Aquaman said as he gave the younger hero a slight bow, which the younger man returned.

"That goes for me to kid. You ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask." The Flash said as he offered out his arm for a handshake. Fortunately it was the hand that didn't require his broken arm and shook the Flash's hand slowly before he let go.

"Don't hesitate to ask anyone from the League for help. We'll only be too happy to return the favor." Superman said as he looked over at Green Arrow. Red X looked as the archer nodded his head stiffly. Well, the League weren't exactly singing his praises, but at least he was no longer on their bad side.

With a final nod to everyone, he launched himself off of the warehouse rooftop and into the shadows of Gotham. He was too far away from his main base located in Bludhaven, so he headed towards the one he'd set up in an abandoned opera house located on the outskirts of Gotham.

Only half way to his hideout did Red X realize that he still had Batman's tracking device on him. As he took out the bat shaped tracer it gave off a dull blinking red light while he held it in his palm.

"He's different from you. I doubt that you would have ever of shown that much concern for me in a situation like that. I bet you would have even found something to critic about. You would have pointed out the mistakes I made and would have said that you taught me better than that." Red X said bitterly as he stared down at the tracer.

He wanted to say so much more, to yell for hours at the small piece of metal in his hands. To imagine that it was his Batman so he could ask the man why he wasn't like his counterpart. He crushed the tracer in his hands and watched it fall to the ground.

"Would you have been proud or disappointed?" He asked out loud, though he already knew the answer. Batman, _his Batman_, would have been disappointed, but by asking the question, it gave him hope that just maybe, his guardian may have felt the opposite.

Red X jumped off to the next rooftop lost in old memories. He never noticed the dark figure of Batman appear from the shadows as he picked up the broken tracer, nor did he see the look of worry sent his way.

~Young Justice: Red X~

That little bit of the Joker's thinking in the beginning was mainly for my own enjoyment. I do so love writing from that psycho's point of view. I also thought it important to write a change of pace once in a while. It gets a little old to read from Red X's point of view all the time and I wanted to do it from someone other than Batman and Deathstroke.

When Red X saw Deathstroke, he still thought of him as Slade. He hasn't really realized yet that Deathstroke is not TT Slade. There's too much of a history for him to think that Slade wouldn't know him.

I'm just having Red X realize how alone he really is in this world. He's never really been on his own before. So to know that no one is there for him is a tough truth to accept. I also wanted to point out the major differences between TT Batman and YJ Batman.

While YJ Batman is still a total badass, he's far more capable at expressing his feelings and being a better guardian than TT Batman. It makes Red X wonder why his Batman couldn't be the same.

I made Red X's main base of operations is located in Bludhaven, which is only an hour away from Gotham City. I've set Bludhaven to be somewhat surrounded by the other major cities, like Gotham, Metropolis, Star City, and Jump City. He's set up smaller bases throughout the other cities, though none of them are as extravagant as his main headquarters.

~Hexalys~


	7. The Calm Before The Storm

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review! I mean seriously, over two hundred reviews?! I don't even know how that's possible, but thank you all so much for telling me what you think!

Okay so here are the votes for Slade/Deathstroke:

1. Deathstroke gains TT Slade's memories- 13

2. Deathstroke remains as YJ Slade- 20

At this point it looks like Deathstroke won't be gaining Slade's memories which saddens me, because that was what I was eager for, so here's hoping for more votes! This will be your last chance to vote, so make it count.

The poll for who will be Red X's love interest has been decided. The winner is Raven who won by a landslide with a total of 38 votes. Damn!

I got a new computer! Ha-ha! Yes, I am laughing at you my dear readers, but hey, laugh with me because this means I can once again continue writing. Now, I don't want to delay you from the chapter any longer, so here you go!

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 7: The Calm Before The Storm

**GOTHAM CITY: June 5, 14:37 EST**

John Strike sighed as he exited the small and rundown hospital he had just been treated in. He ran his uninjured hand through his dark brown hair and grimaced at its' shortness. He couldn't remember the last time his hair had been this short. It was combed back, but his bangs spiked up slightly. A small reminder for the way his hair had once been.

John Strike was a handsome seventeen year old boy. His skin was a pale white, bordering on the point of unhealthy as his doctor had said, going so far as to adding the order of being out in the sunlight more often. The teen was of average height for someone his age and was obviously physically fit. His body, while muscular had a lean physique to it, looking more like that of a gymnast than that of a football player's.

The young man wore black pants that were made out of a very flexible material that somehow still managed to look like a pair of regular slacks. His shirt was a simple thin black turtleneck that had a small red x on both of his shoulders. The shirt was tight and form fitting, but also very stretchy. To finish the ensemble the teen wore a long white trench coat that had a many black strappings on it, mostly across the sleeves and chest with a pair of black sunglasses to hide his brown eyes.

He looked down at his injured hand, the doctor had wanted to place a cast on it, but John took a pair of splints instead. He had been stuck with a cast before and he knew very well how badly the hunk of plaster interfered with his fighting abilities, not that he planned to take on anything too strenuous for the next week or two.

John had been able to patch up most of the injuries he'd received the night before, but he had needed stitches for the long gash in his arm and for the broken bones to be set correctly. It was times like these that he really missed Alfred's medical knowledge or Raven's healing abilities.

John Strike was a new face in Gotham, even though he had supposedly lived in the city up until a few years ago. He used contacts that covered up his baby blue eyes that he'd gotten from his Mother and had dyed his once black hair. The seventeen year old looked nothing like the way he had the day before, but that was necessary. He had looked too much like Dick Grayson, even if he was a few years older than the boy.

John was an emancipated minor; his parents had died a year ago and his only living relative, his grandfather, was much too old to take care of him. With his parent's death, John had gained a wealthy inheritance that amounted to about three million dollars. He'd also inherited several properties located throughout several cities. One of which, he was headed towards at that very moment.

Taking a taxi to the site, John reflected over the differences of this Gotham City to his city. The streets were still as dirty as he remembered and there were too many gangs that hung out in the alleyways, but at least they weren't running rampant through the streets.

From his cracked and stained window, John could see dealings going down throughout the slums they were driving through, no one even making an attempt to hide their illegal transactions. Then again, there was no need to. It wasn't like any cop was going to bust them and the Bat only came out at night, unless some super villain was attacking.

It was somewhat amusing to know that the crooks and criminals were too afraid to do their dirty work in the shadows of the night. It was much safer in the daytime, but then again that made the daylight hours unsafe for the citizens of Gotham. Resolving to go out more during the day, John continued to make comparisons of the city he once knew to the one he was just getting to know.

When they finally reached their destination, John paid the taxi driver and waited for the man to disappear down the street before he walked to his real destination. John was currently at the edge of Gotham, an abandon section of the old city. The buildings in the area were mostly dilapidated and structurally unsafe.

Normally this area was the perfect place for the criminals of Gotham to hide and the area had been home to a few gangs, but after Red X had claimed this area as his own, the streets and buildings were soon left uninhabited.

John walked toward the old Opera Theatre, subtlety checking to see if he'd been followed, and continued into the seemingly abandoned building. The entrance was large; the white marble floor was scuffed up and covered in dirt. Carpets that had once been a deep rich red was now frayed and faded. The grand golden chandelier that hung over the aged room was dull and covered in cobwebs and dust.

John had no doubt that this old and damp room had once been extremely beautiful and breathtaking. A part of him wanted to restore the room back to its' former beauty, but then the Opera House would lose the disguise of being abandoned.

John walked towards the moldy carved oak doors, ignoring the grand staircase that went upwards, and entered the audience chamber. Hundreds of dusty seats greeted him, their once red velvet cloth pale and worn. Some seats were broken while others had been completely removed from their rows. The balconies throughout the large chamber were covered by moth-eaten drapes and dark shadows.

A chandelier, bigger and grandeur than the one in the entrance way, hung ominously overhead and even though it was in no better condition than the last one, it was still breathtakingly beautiful just the same.

Again John ignored the faded beauty that surrounded him and focused on his destination, the stage. Like the doors, the wooden floorboards were old and moldy, but surprisingly the wood did not break or even creak when John stepped onto the old stage. A single podium stood near the front the stage, looking just as old as everything else in the abandoned Theatre.

John walked over to it and pressed a button that had been hidden inside the wooden stand. A sudden hiss rang out through the silent audience chamber and the piece of floor that John had been previously standing on disappeared, letting the boy drop through the secret trapdoor and into the darkness below.

John landed on the soft padding with grace, not at all surprised by the sudden nine foot drop he'd just experienced, and continued into a room that was anything, but old and abandoned. His black and white shoes padded across thick concrete floors that matched the walls and ceiling. The room was not covered in dust, but shone brightly with the help of new items and a much needed cleaning.

The room was large and had once housed props and settings for whatever plays that had once been performed on the stage up above. At the far end of the room, placed against the opposite wall, was a large setting for anything technological.

A large computer was the main center piece that was surrounded by tools and items that only John could name and use. Microscopes, beakers, burners, and any other chemical tool one could think of covered the tables next to the computer, as well as the latest crime cracking machines made by Wayne Industries.

John walked past other items that had been placed throughout the room, a bed, a training area, and made his way over to the corner of the room where a black uniform was waiting for him. Ridding himself of his civilian clothes, John put on the dark Kevlar suit, being careful with his broken arm, and sighed in relief as he slipped on a mask with a white skull on it.

Even though he'd placed a mask on his face, to Red X, it felt like he'd just taken off his mask. John Strike was nothing more than an alias to him. Red X was who he truly was.

Red X had made the identity John Strike over two months ago; it wasn't like he could take a plane to Rhelasia as he was. John's medical history was the same as his real one, though he changed his birthdate a little, he had tried to keep it as close to his original birthday as best he could. The name itself had come from both his past and his new future.

He'd taken the name John from his Father and the name Strike from his current identity, X. John had been made with the help of the Justice League, though they didn't know it, so Red X had little doubt that someone would question the sudden existence of John Strike. The small fortune that he owned had been the money he earned while spying in Rhelasia and though John had graduated from High school a year early with the highest honors, he was taking some time to travel before continuing his schooling.

The Opera House was one of Red X's many hideouts, but this was only the second one that had been fitted with enough gear to be considered a real base of operations. His main headquarters was a small abandoned factory on the outskirts of Bludhaven. There he had equipment that put his current base to shame. He had three other bases one in Jump City, another in Star City, and the last in Metropolis.

Each base had offered something different. The one in Bludhaven gave him a direct route into the drained waterways the traveled all throughout the city, making it easy for his bike to get from one location to the next. His Gotham City base was incased in thick concrete and lead beams, making the hideout seemingly invisible to the Justice League and anyone else.

His Star City base was actually a recently abandoned chemicals lab still stocked with all its' equipment and components. He had plans to restore the lab; turning it into a Crime Lab using forensic science to help catch criminals throughout Star City, Gotham and Jump City

His Metropolis base was actually a still working factory that mass produced medical equipment like needles and IV bags. It provided a regular income and he'd personally interviewed all of the workers. The factory itself had the support and partnership of Lex Corporations, Lex Luthor did need to look like a good man to the public and Red X would rather have to deal with Luthor than with Bruce Wayne.

Finally his last base in Jump City was another abandoned factory on the outskirts of the town, though he hadn't bought it because it offered him anything. He just felt the need to keep an eye on the city that he'd spent the last three years protecting and maybe, if he watched the city close enough, he could find the Titans…

He hadn't seen his newest base yet, but he planned to do so within the week. It wasn't like Jump City was very close to the other cities, it was a good three hour drive from Bludhaven, and Bludhaven was an hour away from Gotham.

Red X made his way over to his X-cycle and headed for the loading bay that the Opera House had, he still remembered what street he'd been on that had all those dirty dealings. It was time to remind the criminals of Gotham that whether it was night or daylight, there was nowhere they could hide, they were not safe.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**THE WATCHTOWER: June 5, 16:57 EST**

Flash walked into the computer room that had unofficially been claimed as Batman's territory while he munched on his eighth chili-cheese dog. He saw Batman where he always was whenever he visited the Watchtower, sitting silently while studying whatever he was looking at on the computer. Upon closer inspection, Flash realized that Batman was looking at a picture of Red X on the screen.

"Hey Bats, what're you doing?" Flash asked as he pulled up behind the Dark Knight, genuinely curious about what the world's greatest detective was up to. Was Batman trying to figure out who Red X was? He knew that Batman knew everyone else's secret identity when it came to the League.

Batman didn't answer him for a few moments and then he did something Flash had never seen the stoic hero do, he sighed as he slumped into his chair. Flash was so shocked at seeing _the_ Batman doing something so normal that he placed his now forgotten chili dog on the counter, determined to find out what the Dark Knight was looking for.

"When we were scouring the Riddler's base after the Auction event, I found this disk. It's a video recording of the fights." Batman started to say before the Flash interrupted him.

"Hey is Wally on there? Can I see how he did? I tried asking him, but every time he tells the story it gets even more unbelievable." The Flash said and Batman brought up a new window that showed both heroes Kid Flash's fights.

From behind him, Batman could hear every flinch and shift that the Flash made whenever his sidekick was hurt. In all honesty Batman wasn't surprised with Kid Flash's lack of skill, not that he'd expect any of the younger heroes to be able to take down Killer Croc, but Kid Flash had never put in as much seriousness into his fights like the other sidekicks did.

"How did Aqualad do?" Flash asked and Batman ran the video feed of Kaldur in his fights. He was impressed with Kaldur's resolve to win, even if winning meant that he was only able to knock Croc out along with himself.

"So how'd Red X do?" Flash asked once Kaldur's matches were over. Batman sighed as he brought up the next video; he'd already seen how well Red X did several times.

Impressed didn't even come close to describing how Batman felt towards Red X's display of fighting prowess. The young hero had been able to take down Croc and then have enough strength to win his next fight. No one, not Speedy or even Robin, could have done that.

Batman didn't flinch outwardly when he saw Cheshire break Red X's arm, but he cringed inwardly. How had he not noticed a broken and bleeding arm? Did Red X even know how to take care of a wound that bad?

The Flash let out a low whistle once the video ended, he'd definitely not expected something like that from the new kid. He felt guilty for not noticing the kid's injuries. He'd been too busy fussing over Wally at the time and had only broken away for a moment to say thanks.

"He's good, really good." Flash commented truthfully after a few silent minutes. Batman nodded before he straightened his posture, his sudden bout of humanism gone. Flash wasn't really sure what had just happened, but whatever it was that had been bothering Batman was seemingly resolved for the Dark Knight.

"He could probably beat half the members in the League." Batman said, betraying nothing with his emotionless tone. Flash looked at Batman's back in surprise, sure the kid was good, but was he really _that_ good? Well if Batman thought so, Flash held little doubt for the Dark Knight's bold statement.

Flash turned to leave the room, remembering his chili dog at the last second. He took a bite and grimaced at the cold food now in his mouth. How long had he been in here?

"Don't you let Oliver hear you say that." The Flash called as he walked out of the room. Green Arrow still held a bit of a grudge when the topic of Red X was brought up, but Flash thought it was more of a pride thing than anything else. Ollie wasn't the kind of guy who stuck his foot in his mouth so Flash assumed this was just the billionaire's way of dealing with the whole misunderstanding.

Had Flash been a little slower to leave the room, he might have heard the soft scoff coming from Gotham's protector. Since when did he care about how Queen felt? Still, Batman had been honest when he said that Red X could take down some members of the League, the Green Arrow and Flash would fall into that category.

Red X had skill at level he never thought possible for someone his age, but that wasn't the thing troubling him. He had watched Red X fight and saw that the young hero fought like Robin, like him.

Red X was just one giant puzzle to him. Who had the boy been taking to on the roof last night? Was it his previous mentor? He'd heard from Green Arrow that Red X had admitted that his mentor was gone. Why had Red X chosen the path of a hero? What drove him to become who he is today? How could they have the same fighting style? Who was Red X?

~Young Justice: Red X~

**JUMP CITY: June 12, 19:34 EST**

Red X pulled his motorcycle up to his abandoned factory based in Jump City. He'd finally been able to make the trip, though there hadn't really been anything that had been stopping him. He spent most of the week taking it easing to let his arm heal.

If he did do some hero work, he did it during the day and it never got any more dangerous than a fight with a couple of gangs, something he could do with both hands tied behind his back. He hadn't gone out at night since the Auction fiasco and that was mainly because he was trying to avoid Batman.

He felt so conflicted whenever his thoughts turned to the parallel version of his mentor. Plus, if there was anyone he couldn't hide something from it was Batman… and Slade. Fortunately, Red X could find no trace of Slade on either the League's computer or the Bat computer. It seemed like there was no Slade here, but Red X didn't believe it. Ravager had been more than enough proof for the young hero.

Slade hadn't been the only person Red X had looked up though, he'd check out his former team as well. Beast Boy was not Beast Boy. He was actually Garfield Logan, an eight year old boy who lived with his Mother in Qurac. The accident that had killed his parents and turned him into Beast Boy had never happened. He lived a somewhat normal life on an animal reserve with his Mom, whom had been a TV star in her youth, and Red X made a habit of checking in on them to make sure they were okay.

Cyborg lived with his parents in Star City, and like Beast Boy, he wasn't Cyborg in this world. He was a fourteen year old named Victor Stone. His parents were scientists working at Star labs and he led a very normal life. Red X knew from Cyborg's history that there was a chance he could still end up as Cyborg. Victor hadn't become Cyborg until he was sixteen because of an accident that had killed his Mother and left his body in pieces.

Finally there was Starfire and Raven, both aliens with no record of them ever coming to Earth. He wondered where the two females of his team were now. Was Starfire on Tameran, being taught how to rule over her people? Would she be coming to Earth at all in this dimension? His thoughts turned to the last member of his team, the only one who he hadn't left behind in his world when the Black Hole had closed.

Raven had been dead close to a year now, not that he could ever forget the day that he'd found her lifeless body on the roof of Titan's Tower. She had looked peaceful then, even though he had found the residue of tear streaks down her even paler cheeks, red soaking her cloak…

He would do better, he'd promised himself and Raven that. This time around, _if_ there was a this time around, he would protect her from both Trigon and herself.

Red X paused outside of the warehouse he bought, noticing that something was off. Not with the base itself, it looked completely abandoned, but with the sudden déjà vu he got when looking at the building. He couldn't exactly remember where he had seen the place, nor what had been inside it. He shrugged his shoulders; he'd probably had a fight in here when he'd been a Titan.

As he cautiously made his way past the door, unease suddenly burst into his mind. He looked into the dark, but could only make out vague shapes. He flicked on the switch next to the door and as the lights slowly flickered over the room, he felt his stomach drop in disbelief.

The giant clockwork gears were hauntingly familiar, even if they weren't moving at the moment. The rickety overhead pathways were unmistakable after how many times he'd walked on them, hoping he could spy on his nemesis below unnoticed as he tried to figure out how to save his team.

The open space a little from the center of the warehouse sized room was unforgettable, not with how many times he'd been thrown into that floor during his so called training. The elevated platform just a little above the open area was empty though, it was missing the familiar throne that _**He **_had used to sit in while staring down at him.

His Jump City base was actually Slade's Old Haunt.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Dun Dun DUUUUNNNN!

Yep, Slade's old haunt is now one of Red X's base of operations in Jump City, and if that doesn't mess up your minds I don't know what will. I thought of it at the last second and just had to use it. I saw no reason for Deathstroke to use it, plus I've already made his secret lair somewhere else.

Some of you might be wondering where the name Strike came from. In bowling when you knock down all the pins you get a strike which is symbolized by a giant X. I made the connection while bowling one night and I had to use it. John came from his Dad and it's a very popular first name in the Justice League. Red X is seventeen years old. In his universe he stayed with Batman until he was fourteen then left to start up the Teen Titans.

This chapter is basically the calm before the storm because the next chapter will start the main storyline by doing the episode Independence Day. A lot of you guys wanted Batman to find a tape of the fights and I liked writing his reaction as we finally get to see the detective side of our dear Dark Knight. I threw the Flash in there because he was also one of my favorites, and I honestly don't think he's going to get much appearance time in my story.

I also had Red X look up his team as some of the Teen Titan characters have come into the show with the second season, like Beast Boy and Bumblebee. If they throw in Raven I'm screwed! I don't plan on bringing in a YJ Starfire or YJ Cyborg into the story unless the writers themselves put them in.

Anyways, it's good to be back and thanks for reading!

~Hexalys~


	8. Independence Day

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

Well the votes are in and it looks like YJ Slade is not going to get TT Slade's memories. Damn, oh well.

I'm sorry that it took me so long to post this chapter; I just found it sort of hard to get into as it is such a long chapter, the longest I've ever written actually. It kept becoming somewhat tedious having to write down some of the parts in it, but I'm finally done so enjoy!

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 8: Independence Day

**GOTHAM HARBOR: July 4, 16:40 EST**

In his base located on the outskirts of Gotham, Red X watched the recorded video feed of Robin fighting Freeze for attacking Gotham Park. It was still odd to see a different version of himself fighting the criminals of Gotham. To hear people call the younger boy Robin and not him, to see the young teen fight by Batman's side.

The video had been posted less than an hour ago by a Gotham citizen who hadn't been frozen by Mr. Freeze. Simultaneously, Red X was watching another clip that had been posted almost three house ago of Speedy and Green Arrow taking down Junior. Several hours earlier, at dawn to be exact, Aquaman had sent a message to the rest of the League saying he and Aqualad had defeated Killer Frost. Red X narrowed his eyes in suspicion as an alert appeared letting him know that Flash and Kid Flash had just arrested Captain Cold.

Four super villain ice based criminals all attacking on the same day? Something big was defiantly going down. As Red X began going over the four different attacks to try to discover any possible colliding motives behind the attacks his mind kept wandering to the sidekicks.

He knew what was happening today long before the sidekicks had, and he knew that they were going to be sorely disappointed. About three weeks ago, a little after the Auction incident, the Justice League founders had decided it was time to include their sidekicks into the League. Red X had been listening by hacking into the comlink in Batman's suit, which was connected directly to the Bat computer.

The Leagues' idea of bringing the sidekicks into their fold was really just a glorified reason to keep better track of their partners. After the Auction, it seemed that the older heroes had grown more protective over the next generation.

For Robin and the others, joining the League really meant that they would be able to use the Hall of Justice or as Red X liked to call it, the Justice Leagues' tourist hot spot. It would not take the sidekicks long to figure out that the Hall wasn't the real base, and that there so called acceptance into the League was nothing, but a sham.

Red X leaned back in his seat in thought. At least the League was more interested in the next generation than the one from his own world had been. He remembered how unimportant the Titan's had been in the grand scale of things, mainly because Batman hadn't felt that his team was up to par.

The older heroes had never felt the need to connect with the younger ones even though one day the protection of Earth would be passed down to them. They seemed to think that the Titans were just a ragtag group of kids that wouldn't last long, Red X had known otherwise.

By the time his generation of heroes took over, Red X had planned to all but disband the remnants of the Justice League. When the Teen Titans were needed to step up and take the mantle, they would simply be called the Titans. He would not let anyone take away the name they had made for themselves.

The Teen Titans themselves would not be disbanded, but recruit the next generations of heroes. As the Titans, he and the other members would train the new heroes and teach them how to defend the innocent. He had planned for the original Titans to be what the Justice League had never been, mentors.

Alas, now he would never see that day come and his goal to being accepted as a hero for the next generation seemed to be even more distant. He had to start all over to get the respect that he'd worked so hard for, but then again he didn't have the reputation of being Batman's sidekick hovering over him anymore either. Red X used to think that was a good thing until he'd met this world's Batman.

This Batman was so different from the one Red X was raised by. It wasn't like he lacked the same presence the other Batman had and Red X knew that this Batman's bat glare was just as intense as the others, it was the way he acted towards Red X personally that was different.

Never would his Batman point out his injuries until they were back in the Bat Cave, he hated it when weaknesses were displayed so he would never alert them to the League like this Batman had. Like Red X, Batman hated looking weak in front of someone else, especially other heroes.

This Batman though, his prime concern had been to tend to his wounds. Red X doubted that he would have been treated in front of the League, but in the Bat Cave itself. Getting that close to his almost home might have been too much for his already exhausted mind and he might have let something slip.

Red X was determined to be known only as Red X and no one else.

Then again there was the League itself that was different, granted he hadn't spent much time with them to evaluate each member, but it was more of a feeling than anything else. Red X had never spent much time with the League as a whole, but he had met each hero individually.

His League had rarely spent any time with him or the Titans. In fact, Red X was pretty sure he had more interactions with this Justice League than with his own.

An alarm on his computer interrupted Red X's musings letting him know that someone was trying to hack into the Justice Leagues data base. Red X quickly set off to find where the hacker was and backtracked it to the Hall of Justice. Confused, Red X brought up a live streaming video feed from the security camera located in the library where the hacker was located.

On the screen he could see Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad all hovered over a computer, leading X to believe that it had been Robin who had hacked the terminal. He was surprised to see that Speedy wasn't there, but from the looks of things, it seemed like the sidekicks had found out what their induction into the League really was. He cranked up the volume of the video to hear what the sidekicks were talking about.

"Alright, project Cadmus, genetics lab here in DC. That's all there is, but if Batman's suspicious, maybe we should investigate." Robin said and Red X felt his interest in the situation increase.

He brought up another window and ran his own search on project Cadmus, like Robin he didn't get much more information. After a little more digging, Red X found who had funded Cadmus, Lex Luthor. Red X's previous interest was now accompanied by a heavy sense of foreboding, whenever Luthor's name was involved, it rarely meant anything harmless.

"Solve their case before they do, it would be poetic justice." Aqualad said and Red X felt his lips quirk at the hero's ironic words.

"Hey, heh, they're all about justice." Robin responded and Red X had a feeling that he already knew where this was going, especially if the sidekicks felt like they had to prove themselves.

Aqualad sighed before he answered. "But they told us to stay put." The Atlantian pointed out.

"For the blotting out the sun mission, not this." Robin responded and that answered Red X's wondering as to where the mentors were.

"W-wait, a-are you going to Cadmus? Because if you're going, I'm going." Kid Flash said excitedly as he turned Robin towards him. Both he and Robin turned back to Aqualad with big smiles on their faces, waiting for Aqualad's answer.

"Just like that, we're a team on a mission?" Aqualad asked and Red X shook his head at the Atlantian's question. The three sidekicks may be on the same mission, but they were not a team. A team takes time to build, to work together well, and those sidekicks were far from a team.

"We didn't come here for a play date." Robin answered and Red X knew that the three sidekicks were going to head for Cadmus.

Slowly, Red X turned off the streaming video and erased his presence from the Justice League system. If the League ever found out he was hacking their system he knew whatever little faith they had built in him would be destroyed.

For a brief moment Red X thought about just minding his own business or calling Batman to let him know what the sidekicks were up to, but just as soon as those thoughts came he banished them.

He couldn't leave the sidekicks on their own, as they had no idea what they were getting themselves into, not that he had any clue either and the entire League was busy trying to save the Earth. Calling them and alerting them to their sidekicks' possible danger would only distract them from stopping whoever was trying to end humanity this time.

Making up his mind, Red X checked over his utility belt making sure he had his weapons and gadgets on him and ran a diagnostic on his Xenothium power cell levels. He was running at 100% capacity and his multi-compartment belt was filled with all kinds of items.

Red Smoke and Gassing bombs, Lock Picks, Silver Grappling Cables, his collapsible Steel Bo Staff, Disc Grenades with a variety of payloads (high explosives, electrical surges, ice bombs), and two X-shaped collapsible swords; all weapons that he'd used in his past fights as Robin.

The problem with being Red X was that he wasn't sure if he could use his more signature style of fighting. He knew as Robin, his skills as an acrobatic were unparalleled, but the problem was that he was no longer the only Robin in this universe.

He tried to avoid using the techniques Batman had taught him or the aerial moves he'd learned while in the circus, but that mainly left him with the skills Slade had taught him. Red X was unable to completely change his fighting style to match the one of his most hated enemy so now his fighting form was a mesh of all three.

The agility and speed of Robin, strength and focus of Batman, the brutality and cunning of Slade.

Hopping onto his motorcycle, Red X calculated how long it would take him to reach Cadmus. Hopefully the sidekicks wouldn't get into too much trouble until he showed up.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**WASHINGTON D.C: July 4, 21:37 EST**

As the fireworks went off in the distance, Red X pulled up a little bit always from the Cadmus building. Whatever fire that had been ravaging the building before was now long gone as were the firemen who had put it out. Looking for the best entrance Red X spotted an open window on one of the higher floors and teleported inside after activating his cloaking technology.

Once inside the building Red X found himself in a room that already looked slightly searched through. Filing cabinet doors were left open and papers were scattered around the average looking room. Red X activated his comlink to connect to Robin's, hoping to find their position faster than just starting a random search.

"Robin can you hear me? It's me, Red X… Robin respond." He sighed as he only got static meaning that either Robin was too far away or was knocked out, maybe worse. Heading out of the room he spotted an opened elevator at the end of the hallway with no lift waiting for him.

Cautiously he approached the elevator shaft and let out a low whistle as he looked down the tunnel of metal. The other sidekicks were definitely in over their heads. This whole situation reeked of serious trouble for everyone.

Looking at the cable hanging from the ceiling Red X realized that it actually belonged to Robin. Knowing that he was heading in the right direction, Red X jumped for the lone cable and slid down it until he reached the end of the rope.

Again he found a door forcefully opened and he made his way onto the twenty-fifth floor. He wasn't exactly sure which direction he should take, but his best bet was to find a computer to trace for any lead Robin might have left behind if he'd hacked into the system.

Red X quietly made his way down the largest hall in front of him and paused when he heard, as well as felt, the approach of something very large. Red X backed up close to the wall to avoid being stepped on by a monstrous creature the likes of which he'd never seen, after all being invisible wasn't the same as being intangible.

'_**You are going the wrong way.**_' An unwelcomed voice said inside of Red X's mind. He cringed suddenly at the other's surprising presence, but did not move from his spot against the wall. He shot searching looks in all directions to find whomever it was that was contacting him telepathically, but Red X could see no one.

'_**I am not near you Void Walker, but on another floor. The ones you seek, the intruders, are on the bottom floor with project Kr.**_' The voice said into Red X's mind once again.

Telepathic communication was not unfamiliar to Red X. Raven had often communicated with him through the mind after the incident with Slade's mask. However she was the only person to ever talk to him telepathically and he did not like the fact that someone else could enter their thoughts into his mind without his permission.

Fortunately, Raven had taught him some mind techniques that could shield him from such unwanted intrusion, but he hesitated. There was always a chance that this person was really trying to help him.

'_**You don't expect me to actually believe you right, and what did you mean by calling me Void Walker?**_' Red X said mentally as he tried to instill some sense of calm to replace his sudden anxiety. The name Void Walker made Red X think that this unknown person knew that he was from another world.

'_**You have very good reasons to be suspicious and the only proof I can show you would be the images of your captured friends, though I doubt such visuals would convince you. You are a very cautious and suspicious person, your trust is hard to earn. I call you Void Walker because that is what you are. You have crossed through dimensions, though I was not sure it was possible. I can see it in your mind.**_' The voice answered once again leaving Red X feeling even more anxious than before.

He did not like that his secrets had been so easy for this person to discover, it left him feeling vulnerable. However, he had more important things to worry about than one person knowing he wasn't from this Earth; the sidekicks needed his help apparently.

Red X knew that there was a pretty good chance that he was headed for a trap, but he had to take the risk. He didn't like the idea of leaving Robin and the others alone with this project Kr any longer than he had to.

Making his decision, Red X turned around and headed back for the elevator to get to the fifty-second floor. Using his teleportation, Red X reached the bottom floor in a matter of minutes. He made his way through the hallways with the guidance of the voice and arrived at a metal door which his unknown ally opened.

His entrance into the room was far from the subtle kind that he would have preferred as he was met with four different sets with eyes, or at least he would have had he not been invisible. Still, even though no one could see him, he knew it did nothing to hide his presence.

In front of him was a teenage boy slightly taller than himself wearing a white full-body suit with Superman's symbol on it. It didn't take Red X long to put two and two together before he realized that the teen in front of him was actually Superman's clone, this was a genetics lab after all.

Behind Superman's clone were Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, all trapped inside glass prisons. They all seemed to be fine, but they were cuffed to the tables inside their prison, though Red X spotted Robin already trying to pick the locks of his cuffs.

"Who's there?" The clone demanded rather aggressively from his position, already cracking his knuckles in anticipation. As quickly and silently as he could, Red X moved from his position in the doorway and launched himself up to the ceiling. The doors shut behind him, making him curse the person who'd brought him down there and focused his attention on the clone.

"I'm here for my friends." He called up from above, his metallic voice somehow echoing throughout the small chamber. He saw the sidekicks visibly slump with relief, obviously glad to have some backup instead of more enemies. Red X saw the clone's face shift from anger to confusion.

"They are your friends?" The clone asked looking towards Robin and the others.

"Yes, they're in danger here so I came to help them." Red X answered and paused before he continued. "Do you have friends like that?" From below him he saw the clone's shift into deeper confusion.

"Do you know what I am?" Red X asked from above, his eyes both tracking the confused clone and Robin's slow progress in escaping.

"You're an intruder!" The clone growled out from down below.

"Well, yes, I suppose so, but that's not what I meant. I am a hero." Red X answered.

"Like Superman?" The clone asked confusion very evident in his voice.

"Yes, my duty is to help all those in danger, especially my comrades and friends. What's your name?" Red X asked.

"I am the Superboy, a Geno-morph, a clone made from the DNA of the Superman. Created to replace him should he perish, to destroy him should he turn from the Light." Superboy said with complete confidence.

"To be like Superman is… a worthy aspiration, but like Superman you deserve a life of your own, beyond that solar suit, beyond your pod, beyond Cadmus." Aqualad said from his own pod.

"I live because of Cadmus! It is my home!" Superboy shouted.

"Then I pity your existence Superboy. I have seen your home, I have talked to you, and yet terms such as friendship are things that you do not understand because they are foreign to you. Home is where you are welcomed and cared for, can you honestly tell me that you have experienced those things here?" Red X said his voice both cold and pitying at the same time.

He could see a painful expression on Superboy's face, as if the teen had just realized what was missing in his short life.

"As I said before Superboy, I am a hero and I save people. I don't think Robin, Kid, and Aqualad are the only ones who need my help. We can show you so much more than Cadmus, help you find a real home." Red X said noticing the look of surprise that appeared on the teen's face.

"Red X is right, we can show you the Sun, the real thing!" Robin said from his pod excitedly.

"Actually I'm pretty sure it's after midnight, but we can show you the Moon." Kid Flash said from his pod.

"We can show you, introduce you, to Superman." Aqualad said and a look of awe made its' way onto the young clone's face.

"No, they can't." A man in a white lab coat said as he entered the room along with two other people. One was a female doctor and the other Red X was sure to be the hero named the Guardian, but what was he doing here? Each person had a tiny creature that bore resemblance to the ones Red X had seen earlier. "They'll be, otherwise occupied." The man in the lab coat continued to say with an arrogant tone. "Activate the cloning process."

"Pass, the Bat Cave's crowded enough." Robin said brining a small smile to Red X's covered face. He readied himself to launch down and attack if he needed to, but he wanted to see what Superboy would do first.

"And get the weapon back into its' cage!" The man shouted as the Guardian moved forward towards Superboy.

"Hey how come he gets to call Supey an it?" Kid Flash called out. As the Guardian placed his hand onto Superboy's shoulder, the clone looked back up to Aqualad.

"Help us." Aqualad said from his pod. Superboy brushed off Guardians hand and for a second, Red X thought he was going to fight back.

"Don't start thinking for yourself now." The man said as the small creature jumped off his shoulder and onto Superboy's. Its' horns glowed red for a second and the alarmed look on Superboy's face was replaced with a face showing no emotions. "See you're not a real boy, you're a weapon and you belong to me… Well, to Cadmus, same thing. Now get back to your pod!" The man shouted and Superboy did just as he was told.

'_Mind control._' Red X thought as Superboy walked out of the room like a zombie. '_I bet that's how they're controlling the Guardian as well._' Red X thought as he prepared to launch an attack.

'_**You are correct, that is indeed how Brother Superboy and the Guardian are being controlled. I must ask you to wait to save your friends though. There is still a chance for Brother Superboy to make his choice.**_' The voice said as it once again spoke into Red X's mind.

Red X paused from up above, though not fully by his own choice. He felt as if something was constricting his movements, stopping his limbs from reacting to the signals his brain was sending them. As he struggled he heard the man in the lab coat ordering someone around and then loud screams coming from the sidekicks.

As he continued to struggle, cursing the person holding him still, he spotted another creature down below only this one was more human-like. '_**Are you the one who's stopping me from saving my friends?**_' Red X growled telepathically and the creature nodded.

'_**I am Dubbilex, I am the one who has guided you through Cadmus. I do not wish you or the others harm, I only want you to help Brother Superboy. Please just wait a little bit longer; I sense that he is already on his way.**_' The Geno-morph said and reluctantly, Red X agreed to wait a little longer.

Less than a few seconds later Superboy tore off the door to the room and knocked the others out of his way before deactivating the cloning process. "Don't give me orders." Superboy growled to the unconscious man in the lab coat and Red X dropped down from the ceiling, revealing himself to the others.

"You are the one from before?" Superboy asked as Red X turned off his cloaking device and nodded.

"The name is Red X, and I'm glad that you returned." Red X said as he moved over to the control panel holding the others. Superboy nodded and turned to look up at Kid Flash.

"You here to help us or fry us?" Kid asked eliciting a soft scoff from Red X.

"Huh, I don't seem to have heat vision so I suppose helping you is my only option." Superboy answered as Robin freed himself from his own pod. '_About time kid._' Red X thought as he freed the others.

"Argh, finally, lucky Batman isn't here, he'd have my head for taking so long." Robin commented as he rubbed his sore wrists.

"Seriously, that's what you're worried about? The whole League will have our heads after tonight." Kid Flash said as he too rubbed his wrists. Red X shot a worried look to a tired looking Aqualad. It seemed as if the cloning process affected the Atlantian more than the others.

Aqualad quickly shook himself and straightened his posture before he turned to Superboy. "Thank you, and you too Red X, though I am surprised to find you here." Aqualad said as the others turned to Red X.

"We can swap stories and explanations later, right now I think its best that we get as far away from this building as possible." Red X said as he moved over to an unconscious Guardian.

"What are you doing, he's one of the bad guys." Kid Flash said as he moved to stop Red X who shook his head in response.

"No, he's as innocent as Superboy. He's been controlled by those creatures the entire time and I will not allow him to be used any longer." Red X said as he picked up the Guardian, brushing off the Geno-morph that tried to stay on his shoulder. Once he tossed Guardian over his shoulder fireman style, he nodded towards the others and they headed out as Robin destroyed the tanks that had managed to gather some of their DNA.

They ran back for the elevator only to be attacked by more creatures. Red X barely dodged the fist that had been sent his way and threw three explosive disks at the three monstrous creatures. The sudden impact caused them to pause long enough for Superboy to take two of them out before he was hit by the third. As he moved towards the others, Red X turned back to Superboy still fighting the Geno-morph.

"Superboy we are trying to escape, not bring the building down on us." Aqualad called from up ahead.

"You want escape!" Superboy shouted back before he threw the last creature into the other two that were just starting to get up. Red X ran up beside Kid Flash as Aqualad tore open the doors to the elevator shaft. Robin grabbed Kid Flash before using a grappling cable to shoot up the shaft and Superboy grabbed Aqualad before he too shot up the tunnel. Using his teleportation, Red X climbed up the wall by leaps and bounds while still carrying the Guardian.

From below him he heard Superboy's stunned exclamation of falling and Red X quickly shot off a large constrictive X for Aqualad to grab onto.

"Superman can fly, why can't I fly?" Superboy asked sadly.

"Don't know, but it looks like you can leap over giant building with a single bound, still pretty cool." Kid Flash commented and Superboy thanked Aqualad. From above Red X heard the rushing sound of metal and he saw the elevator heading right towards them.

"We need to get out of here, now." He said sternly and Superboy opened the door to the floor. They all quickly jumped through, narrowly avoiding getting squashed by the speeding elevator. Again Geno-morphs spotted them and quickly gave chase.

"Turn left, left!" Superboy shouted "Now right." He said once again only to lead them to a seemingly dead-end.

"Great directions Supey, are you trying to get us re-podded?" Kid Flash growled out and Superboy lowered his head in confusion.

"Chill Kid, this is exactly what we needed, everyone get into the ventilation shaft." Red X called as he shifted the Guardian on his shoulder. The man's weight was starting to slow him down, but he refused to let the Geno-morphs turn him against them again.

"Ugh, at this rate we'll never get out." Kid Flash complained from his place in the shart before he was shushed by Superboy.

"Listen." Superboy said and Red X could hear the sound of sharp claws rapidly tapping against the metal ventilation floor.

"We need to get out of here, now." Red X said as he kicked off the nearest grate and got out, bringing the Guardian with him. As the others climbed out, he realized that it wouldn't take long before they were found again.

"Robin can you hack the motion sensors?" Red X asked the boy who nodded before he moved over to the terminal with a knowing grin. Once Robin was finished, they made a break for the stairwell with Kid Flash running ahead of the group.

Once they left the stairwell the hallway flashed with red lights and an alarm rang throughout the building. '_I wondered when they were going to put this place into lockdown._' Red X thought as Kid Flash ran directly into a door. From behind them more Geno-morphs began to show up as both Aqualad and Superboy tried to muscle their way through the door.

"I can't hack this fast enough." Robin said under his breath as he dismissed his holo-computer. Red X spotted a side door as soon as Robin did and they nodded towards each other. "This way guys!" Robin called as he kicked the door open.

Red X followed them into another hallway only to find them surrounded by all types Geno-morphs. The others readied themselves as Red X set the Guardian against the wall, also reading himself to attack.

The horns on the Geno-mites suddenly began to glow and Red X felt an almost unbearable pressure enter his mind, trying to knock him out. As he collapsed to his knees, Red X realized that the others had been unable to resist the mental attack.

'_**Perhaps for the sake of all Geno-morphs, Brother Superboy should make up his own mind.**_' Dubbilex called out as he entered Red X's vision.

'_**It was you.**_' Superboy spoke out telepathically and Red X cringed as a new person's thoughts entered his mind.

'_**Yes Brother, I set the fire and lured your new friends down into Cadmus. Woke them when they were in danger, brought the Void Walker to you-**_'

'_**And guided me, why?**_' Superboy asked Dubbilex and Red X was just glad that he hadn't asked the Geno-morph to explain what the name Void Walker meant.

'_**Because you are our hope, the Geno-morph hero. You will blaze a trail for all of our brothers showing us the way to freedom.**_' Dubbilex said as the Guardian shifted in his position on the floor.

"W-what happened, it feels as if a fog is lifting…" The Guardian muttered from beside Red X. From the other side of Red X he saw the others starting to awaken too.

'_**What is your choice Brother?**_' Dubbilex asked.

"I choose freedom." Superboy answered as the others started to get up onto their feet.

"Guardian?" Aqualad asked from beside Superboy. Guardian looked around, confused for a second, before his face hardened and he turned towards the others.

"Go, I'll deal with Desmond." Guardian called as he placed his hand onto Red X's shoulder. "Thank you for helping me." He said and Red X nodded.

"I think not." Desmond called from behind the Geno-morphs as they shifted away from him. "Project Blockbuster will give me the power to restore order to Cadmus." Desmond said before he drank the glowing contents of the vial he held in his hand.

As Desmond collapsed onto the ground, Red X shifted his stance for a fight, knowing that nothing good ever came from the bad guy drinking stuff from a test tube. As Desmond's body increased in size, Red X grimaced at the remains of torn flesh that clung to Desmond's hideous new form.

"Everyone back!" Guardian ordered as he charged at Blockbuster before Red X could shout out a warning. A punch from Blockbuster launched the Guardian across the hallway and into a wall rendering him unconscious. Superboy charged at Blockbuster fists swinging as Red X turned to Dubbilex.

'_**Take care of the Guardian.**_' He said telepathically and he saw Dubbilex nod his head before levitating the Guardian out of the way and to a safer place. As he turned back to the fight, Red X saw Superboy and Blockbuster smash through the ceiling.

Without wasting time, Red X teleported to the room above and shot an ice disk at Blockbuster. The red ice quickly started to incase the deformed man, giving Superboy the chance to break free of Blockbuster's hold.

"Tit-, Team! Go!" Red X cried before launching himself towards Blockbuster. He shot off an adhesive X at Blockbuster's eyes while Kid Flash ran behind the blinded monster. Aqualad and Superboy launched two powerful punches into Blockbuster's face as Kid Flash bent down behind the behemoth, causing Blockbuster to crash into the ground.

Red X launched a pair of X-shuriken at Blockbuster along with Robin which was quickly deflected by the no longer blinded giant. As Blockbuster got up, he spotted Superboy and charged at the clone slamming him into a pillar.

Together, Red X and Aqualad charged up from behind Blockbuster as they both pulled out their weapons. Blockbuster was able to grab Aqualad before he could attack and slammed him into the ground while Red X smashed his Bo Staff into the hand still holding a dizzy looking Superboy.

Blockbuster cried out as he released Superboy and aimed a punch at Red X who used his teleportation to dodge at the last possible second. As Blockbuster advanced towards Red X, Kid Flash charged at him only to be caught and thrown at a recovering Aqualad.

Red X suddenly found himself in Blockbuster's grasp as he was slammed up against a pillar. The sudden pain his ribs felt was awful and it took all his willpower not to cry out. Placing his hands onto Blockbuster's gigantic one, Red X shot off a surge of electricity through Blockbuster. It wasn't enough to knock the monster out, but it was enough to get him to let go. Using his teleportation, Red X dropped down beside Robin as he gingerly rubbed his aching ribs.

Next to Robin, Red X could see Aqualad being crushed into another pillar. As the rocks cascaded down from the ceiling, Red X was suddenly struck by a mad idea.

"Robin, we need to attack the pillars." Red X said to the teen next to him. Robin sent him a confused look before he looked up at the ceiling.

"Of course!" Robin muttered under his breath in understanding before shooting Red X a nod and brought up a holo-map of the building, determining which pillar to hit. "KF, get over here!" Robin shouted from across the room, Red X already heading towards one of the pillars that needed to be taken down.

"X, aim here!" Robin called as he pointed at an area on the floor. Red X nodded as he shot a giant X that attached itself to the floor where Robin had pointed out.

"X marks the spot team!" Red X shouted as he moved out of the way. Aqualad sent his water to rest out over the X as Kid Flash baited Blockbuster into the area for Superboy to knock into the ground. Together, Red X and Aqualad each shot a powerful surge of electricity through the water, paralyzing Blockbuster.

"Move!" Robin shouted just before his delayed bombs went off. As they ran for the exit, the building came down onto them too fast.

"Get down!" Red X shouted as Aqualad went to shield Robin from the ceiling while Superboy did the same for Kid Flash. Red X brought his palms upward creating two large constrictive X's, making a protective dome around them, hoping it would be enough to shield him and the others.

Once the rocks had stopped pounding into the shield Superboy and Aqualad used their combined strength to break the already damaged shield. Looking at the others, Red X was pleased to see that besides a couple of torn costumes and some bruises, everyone seemed to be okay.

"We… did… it." Aqualad said in-between gasps. Like Robin and Kid Flash, they all seemed a little out of breath.

"Was… there ever any… doubt?" Robin asked before he high-fived Kid Flash.

"See, the Moon." Kid Flash pointed out as Red X leaned against one of the pieces of rubble, his arms crossed over his chest. His uniform was in much better shape than the others', though his torn cape seemed a little more tattered than was usual. "Whoa and Superman, do we keep our promises or what?" Kid Flash said as Superman flew down to them.

'_And now the League shows up to give us a talking too, conveniently arriving after all the fighting is done._' Red X thought bitterly as the members of the Justice League fell into place, surrounding Red X and the others.

As Red X watched Superboy approach Superman, unease suddenly clenched his stomach at the hopeful look on the clone's face. Red X was sure there had been many a time where he had given that look to Batman, hoping he'd finally pleased his mentor. He had never received that look of approval and now, more than anything, he wanted to at least see someone else get that look. To know that it was possible for him to make his mentor proud, that all his efforts hadn't been in vain.

The shocked face Superman was displaying finally shifted, but not into a welcoming one or even a considering one. No, he simply looked mad, indignant, and Red X felt something inside of himself shatter at that look. He knew his Superman would have accepted Superboy in a heartbeat, but it seemed that this Superman was different, just like this Batman.

"Is that what I think it is?" Batman asked and Red X was only slightly surprised that Superboy hadn't bristled at Batman's words. Then again, being rejected by the closest thing you had to a Father was a bitter pill to swallow.

"He doesn't like being called an it." Kid Flash said in a sing-song tone.

"I'm Superman's clone!" Superboy called out harshly. '_Ah, there's the brash teen I've come to know._' Red X thought silently admiring the surprised looks varied throughout the League members.

"Start talking." Batman ordered, and they did. Red X allowed the sidekicks to tell their side of the story, as he quickly came up with his own story. He wasn't going to tell the League that he'd been hacking their systems any time soon.

"So we were able to start talking to Superboy once the Geno-morph was gone and then Red X showed up. Hey come to think of it, how did you know that we were in trouble?" Kid Flash asked and Red X pushed himself off of the rubble he'd been leaning against. Some of the League members shot him curious looks, while others glared mildly at him. Only a few greeted him somewhat warmly, mainly Flash and Aquaman.

"I was watching the news report earlier that stated you three went to go put out the fire Cadmus had. The fact that three heroes were there for a simple fire was more than enough to gain my suspicions. After the firemen reported that you had gone into the building and hadn't come out, I realized there was more to the situation than what laid on the surface."

"After a few hours passed I began to get worried. I tried your comlink Robin, but it didn't work and so I decided to see what kind of trouble you three had managed to get yourselves into. Once I found the elevator shaft, I realized things were much more serious than I'd originally thought and set off to find you." Red X explained earning him some nods and some appreciated looks.

From then the story continued to be explained by the sidekicks up until the point that they defeated Blockbuster. At one point the Guardian stumbled his way onto the group and that was who the League was talking to now, trying to find out whatever they could about Cadmus.

Now Red X stood with the others, who each looked rather worn and tired. From beside him, Red X saw Superboy shoot a glance at Superman that hadn't gone unnoticed. As Superman approached Superboy, Red X took a step back to give them some privacy.

"We'll, um, we'll figure something out for you, the League will, I mean. For now I… better make sure they get that Blockbuster creature squared away." Superman said awkwardly before he flew off. Red X placed a hand on Superboy's shoulder and shot him an understanding look.

"It'll take him some time." He said simply and Superboy nodded still looking slightly dejected.

"Cadmus will be investigated, all fifty-two levels, but let's make one thing clear-" Batman began but was interrupted by the Flash.

"You should have called." The speedster said indignantly, missing the glare Batman sent his way.

"And results aside we are not happy, you hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders and endangered lives. You will not be doing this again." Batman said towards the group of teens, though Red X ignored him. He was not Robin here; this Batman had no claim over him.

Aqualad step forward from the group and spoke. "I'm sorry, but we will." Red X felt his eyes widen in surprise, was he witnessing the birth of the Teen Titans in this world?

"Aqualad, stand down." Aquaman ordered and Red X waited anxiously to hear Aqualad's answer.

"Apologies my King, but no. We did good work here tonight, the work you trained us for. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful, important." Aqualad said making Red X smile wistfully. Indeed, the team up had felt much like the one he'd experienced when he'd first met the Titans.

"If this is about your treatment back at the Hall-" Flash began before his protégé cut him off.

"The five of us and it's not." Kid Flash said making Red X jerk slightly in surprise. Sure he had helped them, but Red X hadn't expected to be accepted into their group so soon, so easily. From behind the others he shifted slightly, causing Batman to shoot him a look before he settled down again.

"Batman we're ready to use what you taught us, or why teach us at all?" Robin asked as he took a couple steps toward his mentor. His tone obviously asking for guidance, for an answer from his mentor to know that what he was doing was okay. Red X felt something inside him stir, an echoing feeling shared with the younger hero and he could almost imagine the silent question his younger self was asking.

"_**You'll support me no matter what, right?**_**"**

"You can't expect them to stay under your wings forever, Justice League. The only thing you can do is accept that things change and help them as best you can." Red X said as he moved forward to lay his hand onto Robin's shoulder. He wasn't sure if he would join this new team, but Red X would try to prevent a major fallout if he could.

"Why let them tell us what to do? It's simple, get on board or get out of the way." Superboy said firmly causing the other sidekicks to straighten their posture more. As Batman narrowed his eyes, Red X made gestured for Batman to follow him. Confused, the others let Red X and Batman walk off a little bit a ways to have a private talk.

"I might have a suggestion Batman; why not make them into a team." Red X said and Batman motioned him to explain. "Have them become a team that works with the Justice League, a side branch to the League. That way you and the others can still keep a close eye on them, but the team gets more dangerous missions, more independence. It would be good training for when they're finally ready to join the League." Red X said and he saw Batman tilt his head in consideration.

"It's a compromise." Batman stated simply and Red X nodded his head.

"True, but they're not giving you much of a choice here. Either you help them or they'll go and make this team on their own." Red X said and Batman closed his eyes, obviously thinking.

"And if this team was formed, would you be on it as well?" Batman asked and Red X shifted uncomfortably before he answered.

"I'm not sure. If they want me to I really don't see why not, but I've worked on a team before…" Red X trailed off, not looking into Batman's eyes.

"You feel like you're replacing them?" Batman said, not wanting to ask what happened to Red X's old team. Slowly, Red X nodded. He did feel like he was slightly replacing his old teammates with new ones.

"Whatever bonds you formed with your team will not be erased by making new ones. Do you think your team would want you to stay solo for the rest of your life or would they want you to allow yourself to be surrounded by friends again?" Batman asked as he placed his hand on Red X's stiff shoulder. Slowly, Red X relaxed into Batman's soft, but strong touch and thought about was his almost mentor said.

The Titans would have wanted him to make a new team, to find happiness in the company of others, to not be so lonely.

"If you form a team, I'd like to join." Red X said and his eyes widened at the small smile Batman sent him. Unbridled happiness welled up inside of his chest before he quickly stamped it out and turned around, teleporting as far away as he could from the man who was acting more of a Father to him than his own Batman had.

As happy as that smile made him, it also tortured him greatly.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**MOUNT JUSTICE: July 8, 08:04 EST**

Red X stood with the others in the cave of Mount Justice, the first base of the original Justice League. He stood in his costume like the other League members while his new team members wore their civilian clothes. Even with his identity as John Strike, Red X preferred to stay in costume all the time, just like when he'd been with the Titans.

"This cave is the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League. We're calling it into service again since you five are determined to stay together and fight the good fight. You'll do it on League terms. Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor, Black Canary's in charge of your training. I will deploy you on missions." Batman said.

"Real missions?" Robin asked suspiciously.

"Yes, but covert." Batman responded.

"The League will still handle the obvious stuff, there's a reason we have these big targets on our chests." Flash said as he pointed at his symbol.

"But Cadmus proves that the bad guys are getting smarter, Batman needs a team that will operate on the side." Aquaman said as he turned to Batman.

"The six of you will be that team." Batman said causing Red X to raise an eyebrow at the extra number.

"Cool, wait, six?" Robin asked and Batman nodded to look behind them. Doing as he was told Red X spotted a green girl walking besides the Martian Manhunter. She had long red hair, a blue cape that matched her blue skirt, gloves and boots, and a white t-shirt with a red X on it.

"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian." Batman said, introducing her to her new team.

"Hi." She said rather shyly and Red X was struck by the similarity she bore to Starfire.

"Liking this gig more every minute. Ah, welcome aboard. I'm Kid Flash that's Robin, Aqualad, it's cool if you forget their names." Kid said as he moved towards Miss Martian, already trying to make an impression on their female teammate. '_Some things never change._' Red X thought somewhat fondly.

As the others moved forward to greet their new teammate Red X stayed beside Superboy, who seemed a little bit unsure of himself. "Come on, let's go meet Miss Martian." He said calmly as he walked up towards the alien girl beside his cloned friend.

Once they reached her, her shirt changed from white to pure black, the red x changing into the red Superman symbol as her cape disappeared. She smiled shyly up at Superboy before she spoke. "I like your t-shirt." Superboy gave her a rare smile back and Red X stepped over next to Aqualad.

"Today is the day." Aqualad said as Red X nodded his head, looking forward to the adventures he would share with his new team.

~Young Justice: Red X~

And done! Man that had to be longest chapter I ever wrote! Seriously it's over eight thousand words long, I mean god do I freaking spoil you guys or what?

Okay so I got the first two episodes done and I feel like I integrated Red X into the story pretty well. I wasn't exactly sure how to go about bringing him to Cadmus and some of you guys suggested that he try to steal something from Cadmus, but I can't see what he'd possible want from a funked up genetics lab.

In the end I thought it would be more believable that he would be able to catch Robin hacking into the Justice League systems, thus leading him to Cadmus. It took Red X six hours to get to DC, because just coincidentally being in DC to storm Cadmus right at the beginning seemed to be pushing it to me.

I want Red X to have a strong friendship with Superboy, like they're best friends. They're both new to this world and seemingly shouldn't exist in it. Through that kinship they're going to be able to understand each other better than anyone else.

As for the parts about Guardian, it always made me kind of mad that no one bothered to help the guy out. I mean during both episodes he gets mind controlled and tossed around like a sack of potatoes, I felt sorry for the guy.

Superman and Batman, in this world they react differently than their counterparts and it's really starting to mess with Red X's mind. As well as the affection Batman is blatantly showing him, it's just too much for an emotionally stunted person like Red X to handle.

I wanted Red X to feel a bit torn for the decision to join Young Justice, but in the end he realizes that the Titans would not have wanted him to shut others out and live a life of solitude. I don't know if any of you are disappointed in Red X joining the team, but how else is he supposed to experience the storyline?

~Hexalys~


	9. Haunted

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

Sorry I haven't posted any new chapters, but I've been working on four other stories, give me a break. There are still so many ideas I have up in my head and I have the attention span of a fly. So it's hard for me to stay concentrated on something for a long time. I may have ADD.

To **LordGodsServant**, yes I was inspired by you to do the scene between Red X and Dubbilex. I really liked how you had your Robin interact with Dubbilex and so took my part on it in my story. As for the relationship between Superboy and Red X, I want them to be best friends bordering on being like brothers.

**Evil Soul** asked me at what time frame Teen Titan-wise does this story takes place so here is a brief outline of the history if my Teen Titan AU.

Season 1 and 2 takes one year and two months. Seasons 3 and 4 takes ten months and Season 5 takes six months. Chapter 1 takes place three months after the last episode of Teen Titans and Trouble in Tokyo takes place during those three months. In total the entire Teen Titan show takes place in 2 years and nine months before Robin enters the YJ World.

Okay some of you guys have asked me about what name the team is going to go by. The idea of them just staying as the Team seems sort of unimaginative, so I decided to give you guys options to vote on. So poll time, which name do you want to use:

1. The Titans

2. Teen Justice

3. The Titan League

4. Other (Names you suggest)

Another poll I have set up is whether Red X will become team leader or not. Some of you want him to lead while others want Red X to be more of a teacher to those who will lead. So I'm putting it to a vote:

1. Red X becomes leader.

2. Red X becomes something of a guide and mentor to Aqualad and Robin, but not the leader.

3. Red X acts as a normal member of the team, but is in fact taking direct orders from Batman as well as handles the more dangerous parts of the missions.

4. Combination of options 1 and 3

5. Combination of options 2 and 3

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 9: Haunted

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Defeated, how in the pits of Azarath had he been defeated?

He was the Great Demon Trigon, Armageddon itself in physical form! How could two measly mortals be the source of his downfall, granted both mortals had been endowed with his own powers, but that should have meant nothing!

Slade he knew to be imbued with abnormal strength and the ability to control fire itself. The traitorous wretch would have been easy to control had Slade not regained his mortality, his freedom.

The boy had been a surprise, but one he should have expected. He should have known his daughter would try to protect those she cared about from him, though she'd only been able to protect one of her friends.

Trigon doubted that Raven had even realized the extent of the connection she'd made with the boy when she had opened up a mind link with him, sharing far more than just memories. She had gifted the boy with powers of his own.

With her strength the boy was unaffected by his resurrection spell, saving him from an eternity encased in stone. Together the boy and Slade journeyed into his domain to free Slade's flesh and free will.

They launched a surprise attack at him, at first he treated their attack with little concern and that was the reason for why he'd lost. In his arrogance he'd failed to notice the powers Raven had left behind in that boy, enough power to seal him away once again.

So, in the end, he had been defeated.

But not destroyed.

He was the Demon Trigon and his resurrection had been foretold in more dimensions than just the one his daughter had been born into. His revival would come about again; the prophecy would come true in the next dimension he was summoned into.

As there could only be one Demon Trigon there too could be only one portal. While Raven had killed herself, she could never truly stop existing because she was a part of him. It had taken time to revive her, but now she was ready to be his portal in the next world once again.

While using his powers to revive Raven, Trigon had kept an eye on the boy who had formed a link with his portal. She intertwined her very soul with the boy and in turn connected the boy to him, though Trigon could not affect the child. His daughter seemed adamant to keep the young male out of his grasp.

It was thanks to the boy that Trigon now had access to a new dimension. Normally he would have had to spend centuries in order to forge a new connection, but due to his link to the boy Trigon now had a connection to this new Earth.

Now was the time for his daughter to fulfill her purpose once again. In one year he would rule on high once more and the boy would be the first to suffer his revenge.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**JUMP CITY: July 11, 01:33 EST**

_Robin tried to compose himself before he turned his attention to the main computer that was housed in the Titans' living room. His hands shook from nervousness and he hid them by crossing his arms over his chest. Even after being away from his mentor for little over a year, Batman still held so much power over him._

_Robin had returned to the Titans only a few hours ago after his two week entrapment blackmailed into Slade's service. Two torturously long weeks that would forever be the worst time of his life and it wasn't because of the reasons his friends thought. They really did have no idea what his time with Slade had been like._

_Working for Slade was like drinking acid, it burned him all the way down to his very core. In truth, his stay hadn't been all that physically taxing. The training had been tough, but it was no worse than when he'd first started out with Batman. _

_Slade taught him more than just his fighting style too; robotics was also a part of his training. While Robin was certain he'd never be able to build robots at the same level as Slade, he was certain he could repair and disable them without much trouble._

_Weapons training was also important, Slade had taught him how to use his staff more effectively as well as how to use a sword and… a gun. Robin repressed a shiver as he thought about how impressed Slade had been when it came to those particular weapons. It seemed he just had a natural talent for them._

_Robin could only imagine how furious and disappointed Batman would be if he ever learned about that particular skill. While Robin himself disliked guns, Batman absolutely loathed them._

_Mentally, Robins' stay with Slade was nothing short of exhausting and overwhelming. Most of the time Robin had to deal the smug and cool minded Slade he'd come to know over their many confrontations, the one who could so easily get under his skin. _

_Then there were the rare moments where Robin was acquainted with a Slade who complimented him and made remarks about how proud he was of Robin, going so far as to actually call the young hero "his boy". _

_Slade acted almost… fatherly at those moments. _

_Bruce had only acted that way a few times, Batman even less. Yet in the two weeks Robin had been with Slade, the man showered Robin with more praise than his guardian of five years had. That was just wrong and it made Robin even more furious with Slade than before. _

_He didn't like having his emotions manipulated._

_Finally Robin had come to know the coldly furious nature that Slade kept reigned in till the end of his apprenticeship. Robin was no stranger to rage; he had experienced it and been at the receiving end of it ever since he became a hero. _

_Batman's anger was silent and seething, he didn't shout or lash out, but instead kept it all bottled in until he fought with a criminal. Joker was explosive and deadly, one minute he'd be all smiles and the next minute his dagger would be slicing into your face._

_His own reaction while enraged was destructive bordering to the point of abusive as well as frightening, or so his friends told him. Robin didn't like the fact that his reactions were so similar to Slade. _

_When they were angry, they both lashed out at their possessions or at the person who was causing their ire. They became too caught up in the moment and could think of nothing else. As much as Robin hated to admit it, they could be very frightening to others in those heated moments._

_Slade's rage had surprised him, but he was well trained and easily handled the fierce reaction._

_As damaging as his stay with Slade was, Robin was determined to not let it affect him. He would not share his experience with the other Titans; they wouldn't be able to help him anyway. The psychological issues were beyond their abilities to understand in order offer any type of solace. _

_Knowing that they still trusted him enough to be their leader was comfort enough. _

_At the moment though, Robin would have to put those problems on hold. Batman had left him a message. _–We need to talk,_ was all that the coded email had said, but those four words left Robin's stomach clenched with… fear._

_There had always been something about Batman that made Robin slightly afraid of him. It wasn't a fear being physically hurt by Batman, but a fear of disappointing his mentor and guardian. _

_Sometimes when he failed Batman would simply chew him out with words that cut him deeply. Other times, if Robin had screwed up in a fight, Batman would have him practice his moves for hours until Robin either collapsed from exhaustion or when Alfred would finally step in. _

_Then there were the worst moments, where Batman wouldn't say anything to him. The air around them would be filled with his obvious disappointment and he wouldn't speak to Robin until he was ready, sometimes the silence between them lasted for days._

_It was those encounters that Robin hated and feared the most. It was like he could physically feel Batman's displeasure, draining Robin of every feeling except for shame. It hurt to know that you were purposefully being shunted by your Father because you screwed up._

_And every time it happened Robin's insecurities came to the surface. A thought would plague him throughout Batman's silence that he'd never had the nerve to ask his guardian out loud. _

'_**Are you going to get rid of me now?**'_

_It was a question he'd had ever since he'd donned his mask and cape, a question that a scared nine year old boy had been too afraid to ask. A question that a prideful teenager refused to even think about at the moment._

_Robin was brought out of his thoughts as the large screen in front of him flashed white for a second before he found himself starring into the cowl of Gotham's Dark Knight. Robin had to force himself not to gulp reflexively like he'd done in the past whenever he was faced with the glare Batman was giving him._

_His throat and mouth suddenly became unbearably dry and he could feel sweat start to build on the back of his neck. He held Batman's gaze for a good minute before his eyes drifted to the floor, he'd never been able to hold Batman's gaze._

_His mentor had taught him at an early age to always keep eye contact during a conversation. It showed that you had a strong disposition towards others and Batman could not afford for Robin to look. So he was taught how to stare down his opponents and Robin could glare down almost every person he'd come up against, except for three people._

_One person was of course Batman, he'd told his mentor that it was out of respect, but that had been a lie. He always felt uneasy whenever he had to hold Batman's stare and he would always look away before Batman could see his uneasiness. _

_Another person Robin could never glare down was the Joker. To this very day that clown's wild and piercing eyes could still send a shiver down the Boy Wonder's spine. He'd tried to glare down the Joker once when he'd been ten years old while he'd been fighting the Joker solo. _

_He would never make that mistake again. _

_Finally the third gaze Robin was unable to handle belonged to Slade. Once he'd found himself trapped as the man's apprentice, Robin could no longer stare down the older man. Slade's one brown, almost black eye, pierced him deeper than any blade ever could. Even now the man held a power over him that was almost as strong as Batman's hold._

"_Explain. Now." Batman growled and Robin almost flinched at the fury seeping through the older man's words. Taking a breath Robin did exactly as he was ordered, telling Batman about Slade, his time as Red X, the nanoscopic probes, about his forced apprenticeship, and finally about what happened hours earlier. _

_Batman's glare neither lessened nor increased, but that did little to ease Robin's worries. He'd made a lot of mistakes, Red X being a major one. He'd also failed to understand his enemy's true intentions as well as failed to protect his team._

_Fear began to swell up in Robin's chest as the silence continued undisturbed and he resisted the urge to fidget. After a few more minutes of silence Robin saw Batman slowly shake his head as he let out a soft sigh. The young hero's stomach clenched at the painfully familiar gesture._

_He slowly brought his eyes back up to meet Batman's and he couldn't resist flinching this time._

_Disappointment, it was so easy to see it on Batman's face even with half of it hidden beneath his cowl. The disappointed look soon melted away into the stoniness that Batman always displayed before the screen went black._

_Robin continued to stare at the blank screen until Starfire asked him if he would join her and the others for breakfast. He didn't._

~Young Justice: Red X~

Red X shot up from where he'd fallen asleep and looked around in confusion before his mind cleared the remaining fogginess caused by his unintentional rest. He shifted in the large chair he'd fallen asleep in as he took off both the masks he had on his face.

While his old Robin costume had been destroyed, Red X had kept his old domino mask and utility belt. He was wearing the belt now, after he'd made a few modifications and repainted it. He continued to wear his domino mask as well, hidden under his Red X mask, unable to get rid of it.

Minding the skin friendly adhesive he used on his domino mask, Red X rubbed his hands over his tired eyes. He'd returned from a night of crime fighting in Jump City, though the crooks had been the more common kind. There seemed to be no sign of Mumbo, the H.I.V.E, or any other villain the Titans used to fight in this dimension's version of Jump City.

Since he was in Jump, Red X was in his lastly obtained base, the one that had been home to Slade in his own world. As much as he'd tried to distance his mind and his base from Slade's Old Haunt, old memories still flashed through his mind whenever he used this hideout.

The area where Slade's chair, his throne, had once been was replaced with one Red X was occupying, though it wasn't nearly as intimidating or impressive. From Red X's chair, he could control almost everything in his base due to the computer control system he'd installed into his chair.

The technology used the holographic computer system that Robin and the League used, though his displays were in red instead of blue. Red X had even hooked up the system into his suit as well, allowing him to also a have a portable holographic computer system at his disposal.

It connected to his central computer system and not for the first time Red X was grateful to Cyborg for teaching him about such advance technology. Though his own system was nowhere near the level Cyborg had integrated into the Tower.

The hanging pathways that went throughout the Old Haunt were still there, though the rusted beams and grates had been replaced with newer and stronger metals. The pathways proved to be the perfect training area to practice his acrobatics as well as fighting in a somewhat enclosed area. Slade had of course mentioned this fact during his apprenticeship, but Red X hadn't been there long enough to test them.

The broken cogs and gears scattered throughout the building had been replaced or repaired. The slow churning, ticking, and whirling were more comforting than distracting. Red X practiced his forms and katas on the moving gears training his ability to pay attention to his surroundings while fighting.

The wall that once displayed images of the nanoscopic probes that had infected the Titans now displayed up-to-date information on many other subjects such as what the sidekicks were doing, what any of the major criminals maybe up to at the moment and how the League was handling Cadmus.

The League was not shutting down Cadmus, though Batman was running a thorough investigation of the place. The Geno-morphs would continue to live in secret at the Cadmus building under the watch of the Guardian until Batman found more information.

On a different screen, the latest footage of a robbery that Red X had stopped only a few hours ago continued to play and rewind itself. Red X found himself studying his moves, looking for any weaknesses that needed correcting, much like Slade had done long ago.

It was somewhat comfortable; to once again stop crime in the city that had been his home for the last three years, but the nightmares and memories that plagued Red X left a bittersweet taste in his mouth.

He thought about his dream, a dream that was in fact a memory that he would've gladly forgotten. That confrontation with Batman had been the last time he'd ever talk to his mentor.

Red X sighed before he reapplied both masks to his face. There was no point in thinking about the past, he was here in this new world and unable to fix things. A small part of him mocked himself for using that weak excuse.

He'd had two years to call up Batman, to try and patch things up, but he'd never been able to work up the courage to do so. Instead he left it to Cyborg to break the news to Batman, who would probably think him dead like the Titans.

He imagined Batman sitting alone in the Cave staring hard at the display case that now held one of his uniforms. His mentor would seep deeper in his solitude and grimness as Alfred silently stood by and watch the man slowly deteriorate into a shell of the person he used to be.

There would be no change otherwise.

Batman would not weep for him, but push onward to continue to defend Gotham. The world would never realize that Batman was no longer the man he'd once been.

Red X pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he got up from his chair and began to stretch. Parts of those thoughts were just wishful thinking, he hoped that Batman would miss him, but he also didn't want his mentor to cave in like that.

Batman had to be strong, for himself and for Gotham. There was no doubt in Robin's mind that his supposed death wouldn't even slow the cape crusader down. Bruce Wayne, however, that was a different story. He would have to come up with a lie for how his ward, Dick Grayson, had died.

And Brue Wayne would grieve for the loss of his adopted son.

Jumping up into the hanging walkways, Red X launched himself onto the parallel pathway as he performed a spin kick. He dodged the image of a right jab to his ribs as he dropped down into a crouch and lashed out with his right leg, tripping his imaginary opponent.

The specter flipped backwards to avoid the sweep and Red X rolled off the pathway clinging to it from underneath, disappearing from his opponent's sight. Silently, he sneaked forward until he was underneath his enemy and launched himself upward, aiming a haymaker at the illusion's chin.

The phantom image of hitting his opponent brought a smirk to his face as Red X lowered himself into a ready stance, waiting for his attacker to straighten himself out.

"_**Really Robin, is that the best you can do?**_" The illusion said in a hauntingly familiar voice as it stepped towards Red X. Red X tensed up as the image finally took form in front of him and he cursed his mind for creating the image.

"Slade." Red X growled at he brought out his staff. This was not the first time he imagined fighting his arch-nemesis while training; in a way he felt that the simulation improved his fighting skills. He certainly tried harder during his spars whenever he imagined hitting that black and orange mask.

He launched out a high strike with his staff which was blocked by Slade. They stood in a familiar stand off as they both pushed their staffs against the others, neither willing to back down.

"_**Something seems to be distracting you Robin, what is it? Worried about the other Titans?**_" Slade mocked in that arrogant tone, clearing saying that he wasn't the slightest bit worried about his fight with the young hero.

"_**Or maybe it's just this place, hmmm? It does bring back fond memories.**_" Slade said as Red X spun with his staff secured behind his back. Slade back flipped onto another pathway and put away his staff, leaving the fight after playing his mind games like usual.

Red X used the rail to push himself into the air. Using all of his strength Red X slammed his staff downward at Slade, slicing through the image and making it disperse. He breathed heavily for a few more minutes as he stared at the new dent on the metal grate below him before he straightened and put away his staff.

For a second he felt the phantom feeling of someone hovering just by his ear.

"_**I like what you've done with the place… apprentice.**_"

~Young Justice: Red X~

I'd hate for you guys to feel like this chapter was a filler, but it kind of was. I needed to set the premises for Raven coming into the YJ world, but still needed to remind you all about Trigon, who will be an arc in this story.

I didn't like the idea of Red X just stumbling across Raven and have her join the team like that. It seemed to plain, and an easy out. He will find Raven in the next chapter, but I wanted to emphasize the connection Raven and Red X have.

I've also wanted Red X to have a flashback of Batman for a while now.

The last bit about Red X fighting an imaginary Slade was a spontaneous thought, but I'm so glad I had it! Deathstroke still won't confront Red X for a while still so I decided to give you some scenario that involved Deathstroke, even if it was only an illusion. Red X isn't crazy or suffering from that dust stuff again, it's just his overactive imagination.

Next chapter Raven finally appears and Red X has to introduce her to the Justice League.

~Hexalys~


	10. The Lost Bird Returns

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

First off I want to apologies to everyone who's been waiting for this update, I took a long time. I can't offer any reason except for some serious writer's block and that I'm becoming bored with this story. I won't abandon it, I would never do that to you guys, but the updates for this story will be less, at least until I get bored of my other two new stories.

Okay, when season 1 ended a couple of months ago I thought we would have to wait a while before we got season 2, apparently not. If any of you guys have seen the new episodes then you know that there's a huge time-jump between seasons 1 and 2, like a five year difference. It was a huge change and a little confusing at first, but it's growing on me.

For my story, I follow the cannon, but once season 1 is done I'll begin my own Arc. The Trigon Arc. I also plan to throw in some dimensional traveling and whether that'll be an Arc or not depends on how long I plan to make it. There will be some major Deathstroke action in those Arcs seeing as he won't be all _that_ big during the cannon chapters.

The polls for both the team name and Red X's position on the team had been decided, thank you everyone who voted.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 10: The Lost Bird Returns

**THE WATCHTOWER: July 13, 19:33 EST**

Batman stood in front of the monitors with Zatara only a few feet ahead of him. The wizard had contacted him only minutes ago saying that something powerful was gathering energy, something not of this dimension, and was entering into their world.

The energy itself was dark in nature, but there was something else to it that Zatara said he couldn't identify, and that there was a life form at the center of the dark energy. The magician wasn't sure if the darkness came from the life form or not, he couldn't tell if this life form was a threat or not.

'_This is not something we need right now._' Batman thought to himself as he watched Zatara try to isolate where the signal was coming from. It had only been eight days since the League had discovered what Cadmus really was. A clone of Superman had not been something he'd expected to find or the Geno-morphs.

At the moment Superboy was staying with Wally West and his parents until Mount Justice was being cleared up. He would have taken the young clone in but only as a last resort, most of the League didn't know who Batman and Robin were and he intended to make sure that number didn't change any time soon. Superboy obviously couldn't go to Atlantis with Aqualad and Miss Martian was staying with J'onn in the Watchtower. As for Red X, well most of the League weren't willing to let the angry clone stay with the "loner" of the team.

While Batman would be one of the first to agree that Red X was somewhat distant, he did not agree in the League's opinion that the kid was an outsider like most believed. Red X may not be the most social hero, but he proved himself to be reliable when there was trouble. There were many times Batman thought about how the incident with Cadmus could have happened differently if Red X hadn't been there to lend his support.

"Batman, the energy is converging into one spot located in Jump City." Zatara said dragging the Dark Knight out of his thoughts. "Should I contact the rest of the League?"

Batman silently shook his head in response. "We don't know if this creature is malevolent, you said there's dark energy involved, but dark doesn't always mean evil." Batman said to Zatara's questioning gaze.

"So you would like to send the… _Titans _instead?" Zatara said, unable to keep the amusement out of his tone. Batman resisted the urge to roll his eyes even though he knew Zatara wouldn't see it.

Kid Flash had been adamant that the team should have a name. Red X had been the one to come up with the team's name, the Titans. Some of the League members were a little miffed that the name didn't have any similarity to that of the Justice League and they blamed Red X even though the kids put it to a vote. It was just another pointless and unfounded strike against Red X…

"No, they may be an established team, but they haven't had the chance to work on their teamwork. I know somebody who's in Jump City that can check it out without being seen. If there is any trouble, be prepared to call the League in." Batman said as he moved out of the room. Once the door closed behind him he activated his comlink to call the hero he had in mind.

"Red X, this is Batman, do you copy?"

~Young Justice: Red X~

**JUMP CITY: July 13, 19:34 EST**

A portal, one both black and red and sinister looking, opened in the alleyway in downtown Jump City, letting someone fall into the world.

She hit the cold and somewhat wet concrete hard, coughing and gagging for air like she hadn't breathed in years. The young female, shivered slightly while she pulled herself up onto her hands and knees, her long tattered dark blue cape trailing behind her. She looked around the area she had landed in and was confused as to how she got there.

The last thing Raven remembered was the stinging of her wrists and the warm dampness of her cloak as her blood soaked it. She had done it on top of Titan's Tower to watch the sun rise one last time. At the end she had felt cold and so very tired, but also triumphant because Raven knew she had stopped the prophecy from happening, that her friends were safe.

As Raven slowly stood up, she had to lean against the wall as a dizzy spell overtook her. Maybe she had been found by one of the others before it was too late and they'd saved her? The loss of blood would explain why she was so dizzy, but not why she was in an alleyway.

She pulled out her communicator and was about to call the Titans when she stopped after she saw what her communicator looked like. It was covered in rust, its bright yellow paint faded and the antenna was missing.

Raven pushed back the sudden rise of panic that threatened to overwhelm her and banished the emotion to the far corners of her mind. Emotions were bad; she had to keep herself under control. Raven pulled herself into her meditative stance, floating a little closer to the ground than she would have liked and breathed.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Raven had to repeat the chant for another minute until she finally had control. Raven knew that she did not have enough power to fly to the Tower, not at the moment and her communicator was dead. If only she could contact the others… she paused as an idea hit her. Raven concentrated her energy and tried to contact the one person that she knew would hear her no matter how little strength she had.

'_**Robin, can you hear me?**_'

~Young Justice: Red X~

**OLD HAUNT: July 13, 19:36 EST**

Red X stood absolutely still, not daring to breathe for fear of ruining what had just happened. It couldn't be, it wasn't possible. She was dead, gone and had been for little over a year. There was no way Raven could be alive.

'_**Robin are you there?**_'

Oh God there it was again! He wasn't going to respond, he wasn't and he couldn't. Not after the months of searching through her room to find a way to bring her back, not after the countless hours spent meditating to find her. Hoping that she was just locked away and kept hidden from him because of Trigon, but it sounded like her, and he wanted that voice to truly belong to Raven.

'_**Raven… i-is that you?**_' Red X thought back, praying that he would get an answer this time.

After Raven's death, there had been a situation where he'd thought Raven was alive and that she needed his help. She had called out to him, just like now and had begged for him to save her. Her voice had almost driven him to insanity.

In the end, it turned out that Slade had infected him with the same hallucinogenic chemicals used in the dust that had once made him have delusions of being attacked by the man. Had it not been for the Titans, he would have ended up killing himself, though Red X was sure that had not been Slade's intentions.

'_**Yes Robin, it's me. I'm in an alleyway though I can't be sure if it's still Jump City. My communicator is rusted over for some reason and I feel weak, really weak. What happened Robin? The last thing I remember is-**_' Red X heard Raven cut herself off at the end of her sentence and he could only imagine her next few words.

'_Is your death the last thing you remember, of me clinging to your cold body as I tried to staunch the blood and screamed for the other Titans to get help, to get Batman?_' He wanted to throw those words at her, to make her understand how much turmoil he'd felt. Yet she was here, alive and breathing and asking for his help.

'_**Give me a second and I'll try to track your location from your Titan communicator.**_' Robin answered back though he wasn't really sure how he was going to accomplish that. He had kept his own communicator, but it was locked away inside of a hidden compartment at his Bludhaven base at the moment.

"Red X, this is Batman, do you copy?" Red X was pleased that he only gave a slight twitch in surprise. When he was younger a call from Batman made him startle like a spooked rabbit.

"Red X here Batman, what's up?" Red X responded and inwardly cringed at his words. '_What's up? Oh yes that sounded very professional._'Red X bitterly thought to himself.

"We have a situation in Jump City; Zatara has sensed something dark appearing downtown through supernatural means. We don't know who are what we're dealing with so be cautious. If this thing turns out to be a threat call the League for backup, I think the Titans are a little too green for this mission." Batman said and X raised his eyebrows in surprise. If Zatara had sensed Raven's appearance, then why hadn't the League sensed his own arrival?

"How did you know I was in Jump City Bats?" Red X had to ask. He thought no one knew where any of his bases were; though he should have expected that he couldn't completely hide from his almost mentor.

"I also know that you have properties in Bludhaven, Gotham, Metropolis and Star City, John Strike." Batman said and if Red X didn't know any better, he would've said that Dark Knight sounded a little smug. "Though I know John Strike isn't your real name." Batman added lightly.

Red X glared up at the ceiling of the Old Haunt in annoyance. He had hoped to hide more than just who he really was from Batman, but at least he had one secret he knew the Bat would never figure out. "What did I do wrong?" He asked impassively as he could, like the fact that most of his secrets had been laid out before him didn't matter.

"You did good work, but using the Bat Computer was your first mistake. You underestimated Robin's abilities in hacking and detecting hackers. Also I kept an eye out for anyone getting treatment from the shadier clinics in Gotham with your injuries. You listed four very unique properties under your alias and none of them were the type a seventeen year old would buy. I am concerned about your partnership involving Luthor though." Batman explained, his tone as equally as emotionless as Red X had sounded.

"Well you know what they say Bats, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. My partnership with Luthor gives me the chance to look over his ledgers for any… inconsistences. So far, he's kept pretty clean, to a certain level at least. I don't have access to all of his records, yet." Red X answered evenly while he smirked from underneath his mask.

"You have a foothold in Luthor's company? I thought it was a simply an investment on his part?" Batman said impressed. He'd never been able to infiltrate Luthor's company; he didn't want to besmirch his family's name by involving his company with anything criminal. That Red X had managed to get a connection with Lex Corporations after only a month and a half was nothing short of amazing.

"At first it was nothing more than a publicity stunt, but I eventually bought some stocks and I'm going to meet Luthor in a month to discuss opening more medical manufacturing plants. If things go as I plan, I should be on the board of Luthor's main investors within the year." Red X answered lightly, unable to keep a twinge of pride out of his voice.

"Impressive." Batman said simply and smiled at the silence that answered him. He had come to realize that Red X was extremely shy and awkward when he was praised for anything he'd done. It was kind of endearing that Red X wasn't as cold as he made himself out to be.

Red X stood up straighter than before, his shoulders became a little broader and he held his head a little higher without him even realizing it. "I'll go check out what we're dealing with Batman."

~Young Justice: Red X~

**JUMP CITY: July 13, 19:39 EST**

Red X arrived at the coordinates Batman had provided for him, which turned out to be only a few blocks away from the Old Haunt. Below him he could see her, sitting in her signature meditative stance, waiting for Robin the leader of the Teen Titans to show up. He took off his Red X mask and seized a second to feel the wind hit his face. It had been months since he'd felt such a sensation.

Sure he'd been outside as John Strike, but he missed the strong winds that came from being on the rooftops. He missed the night's air brushing against his hair as he crouched down to look through the streets for criminals. He missed being Robin. He let the moment pass and let the wistful memories, unanswered wishes, go with it.

He dropped down into the alleyway and approached his revived teammate. Red X still couldn't get over it, seeing her there like she'd never gone away. She was alive, she was here. He could actually talk to her again. And something heavy and horrible, a fear that she was really gone, began to fade a little.

"Raven…" He called out, his voice softer than he would have like, but it _was_ Raven damn it and she was supposed to be dead. She stood up, her hood hiding her face in shadows like always and turned towards him. The bottom of her cape was tattered and faded, like the rest of her outfit. With her pale gray skin and ruined clothes she looked like a person arisen from the dead.

"Robin is that you? You've changed… and your costume… Why are you dressed like Red X?" She asked slowly, her tone confused and worried.

"Let's get back to my base Raven, a lot of things have changed since you-" Red X stopped himself, unable to finish his sentence out loud. '_A lot of things have changed since you __**killed yourself**__._'

He gestured for Raven to come to him and she did, fortunately they were close enough to the Old Haunt that Red X could just teleport them there. Within a nanosecond the alleyway disappeared and was replaced by the dull lightings and bright computer screens that made up his base.

"Robin, this isn't the Tower." Raven said though he could hear the unasked questions. Why weren't they at the Tower? Where were the other Titans? Why had he changed so much? Red X could only imagine how disconcerting everything must be for Raven. To her it must seem like no time had passed at all when really a year had passed and they weren't even in their dimension anymore.

"Raven, it's been a year since you… I'm not sure what has happened to the Titans because they don't exist in this world, well now they do but they're not our Titans. This is… we're in a different dimension." Red X said without looking at his pale skinned teammate. '_There, let's start off with the most important things she needs to know._'

"What? How?" Her voice held no emotion in it, but Red X wasn't fooled. He could almost feel the panic beginning to build in the back of her mind.

"I'm going to try to explain this as best as I can Raven, but there are something's that I won't be able to explain, like how you're still alive. We buried you, I know we did, but you're here and it shouldn't be possible. Then again, the Titans probably think I'm dead too." Red X said as he started to pace in front of his chair, the chair Raven was now sitting in as she watched him, waiting for her answers.

"After you… died, Slade was sent by Trigon to get your remains." Robin paused at Raven's gasp, but he didn't turn to look at her. "I know Raven, I know about the prophecy and why you did what you did, but it didn't work. Trigon was able to use your body as a portal to enter our world and everyone except for myself and Slade were turned to stone. Together, he and I defeated Trigon, though I have you to thank for that. Trigon said that you gave me some of your powers before you died, which was how I was able to beat him."

He paused only for a second, the memories of those dark days stirring in the back of his mind. He and Slade, alone in a dead and burning world, hunted, tired and losing hope with every hour that didn't pass. Time was over, pointless really in Trigon's new realm.

Red X was unsure just how long it had taken him and Slade before they finally defeated the Great Demon. His hands clenched slightly and he mentally stopped the memories from surfacing to the front of his mind and threw them back into the mental cage he'd made. He knew, those horrid memories could very well be the end of him.

"Some time ago, months after your death, the Brain opened up another Black Hole and the only way to stop it was to destroy it from the inside. I volunteered, but I didn't think I would survive. When I woke up again I found myself in this world, this dimension. I took the name Red X since there's already a Robin here and I've been fighting crime on my own until some days ago."

"They have the same heroes here as in our world. Same Superman, same Robin, same Batman and then they have heroes that we've never met before Superboy, Miss Martian and Aqualad. Recently a new team of younger heroes had been formed and I've joined them. They're called the Titans." He paused again, but this time for Raven's benefit. She had returned to her meditative stance, chanting under her breath and he gave her the time she needed to calm down before he spoke again.

"Batman called and well, the Justice League know that something, you, entered their world, but I haven't even told them about myself and I don't plan to either. I'm not sure what to do…" Red X trailed off before he finally looked toward Raven.

Her hood was down, but her face betrayed nothing of what she was probably feeling. There was something different about her though, maybe it was because he hadn't seen her for a year, but Raven looked young, younger then he remembered.

"It'll be okay Robin, Red X. Contact the League, if I'm going to join the Titans then they need to know about me right?" She said softly as she gave him a small smile, but Red X still noticed the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

He turned away and contacted Batman.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**OLD HAUNT: July 13, 20:56 EST**

Batman entered the seemingly abandoned factory with Zatara, J'onn and Black Canary. He was not surprised to find the inside of the clockwork factory to still be working, nor was he surprised to see Red X there.

He took a moment to assess one of the lairs the younger hero had and was impressed by what he saw. The base was fortified with the latest tech, the same used by the League and he could spot several vastly different training areas throughout the base. Quite an achievement for a seventeen year old that didn't have the same resources that he had.

He then spotted the girl, who Batman guessed was around the age of fifteen, dressed in torn and faded clothes. Her hood covered her face in shadows and she certainly looked dark, but evil was not a word that he would have used to describe the young girl. She simply looked tired and worn.

From the corner of his eye Batman spotted Black Canary give the girl a once over, her solid face breaking into concern for a second before it became impassive once again. Dinah always did have a soft spot for kids, especially teenage girls.

"I take it you're the source of the dark energy Zatara sensed earlier?" Batman asked and the girl nodded. "Why are you here?" It did not escape his notice the way the girl's eyes sought out for Red X nor the way that the masked hero tensed when he had spoken to her.

"I came here to find a friend, which I found. I came here to help him." Raven said as she nodded towards Red X. The masked Titan didn't so much as twitch. Batman narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"And how do you two know each other?" He asked the two teens who seemed far too tense to not be hiding something, though Red X was doing a better job at hiding it than the girl.

"I told you I used to lead a team, she was one of them. We… I thought she was dead." Red X said simply and Raven lowered her head. Red X had never said it, but Batman had suspected that the team Red X used to lead were all deceased. To have one of his teammates seemingly come back from the grave must be very… emotionally trying.

"There was a Black Hole and someone needed to close it from the other side…" Raven trailed off and Red X twitched. "I'm not sure how I'm still alive, I was certain I was going to die."

'_**J'onn, is she telling the truth?**_' Batman asked through the telepathic link he had asked the Martian to set-up before they had entered Red X's hideout.

'_**There is no falsehood to her words Batman, but there is something off about them. I can at least detect that she means us no harm and does truly wish to help Red X. It is her emotions that concern me, she is grieving. I can sense that her powers are connected to her state of mind. She needs training or she will become a danger to herself and those around her.**_' J'onn answered as he slipped past the girls mental barriers. He would not read her mind, such an act was forbidden on Mars, but he could get a feel of her person in general.

She was a sad being, and not entirely human; J'onn knew that much from looking at her mind. Her powers were nothing like he had seen before and her strength in the mind arts were good, but she was a novice when it came to controlling her emotionally based powers.

Considering she was self-taught, her powers were at an extraordinary level, but she was far from mastering them. She was a lonely creature by nature, much like Red X and both tried to distance themselves from their emotions. J'onn could tell though that she was not a threat.

'_**She looks lost to me.**_' Black Canary said to the others as she studied the young girl. Dinah knew what it was like to have little control over your powers. She could still remember how horrified she had felt when she had almost made her entire pre-school class deaf. '_**Red X knows her and she said she's here to help, I say we give her a chance.**_'

'_**None of you may be able to sense it since none of you have ties to magic, but I feel something dark emanating from this child. The evil is not coming from her, but channeling through her. To me she feels like a portal, much like the one that brought her into this world.**_' Zatara said as he studied the girl before them. A part of him, the part that he suspected to be his parental side, agreed with Dinah.

'_**Could it be a side effect from traveling through that Black Hole she told us about? I'm pretty sure people weren't meant to travel that way, it could have messed with her powers or something.**_' Dinah offered to the others, feeling the need to defend the girl.

'_**It is possible, there is no telling how it would affect her and her magic.**_' Zatara consented. He had nothing against the girl, but there was just something off about her. It was just a feeling; he could tell just by looking at the girl that she herself was not evil, but he could see that she'd been marked by something malevolent.

'_**Either way, it would be best to keep her close to monitor her. I'm willing to give her a chance, even if she's not telling us everything. Everyone is entitled to their own secrets.**_' Batman said sternly and everyone knew that the discussion was over.

"What's your name and powers?" Batman asked, but it sounded more like an order for an answer.

"Raven, I have the power of telekinesis, levitation and an ability called Soul-Self. It allows me to teleport myself and others, the ability to heal myself and others, as well as enter another's mind. I'm also able to wield certain magicks, but I'm afraid I've had little chance to expand my knowledge in that area. My powers are tied to my emotions." The girl, Raven, said indifferently.

'_**She is telling the truth.**_' J'onn answered Batman's unasked question.

"Can you vouch for her?" Batman asked Red X who nodded.

"I can, but that won't mean much for the League." Red X said and the League members there did not need for him to elaborate. It was common knowledge that the young masked teen was not on great terms with half of the League. His vote of confidence for Raven might do more harm than good.

"We can put you on probation; if you pass you can join Red X and the other Titans. Probation will consist of you being taken in by a member of the League; they will test you and train you to become a better heroine. Do you accept?" Batman asked his voice still cold and stern.

Raven's eyes sought out Robin's and she saw her team leader give her a nod. She knew it was the best she would get and Raven was thankful that they hadn't pushed her for more answers. She had been worried about her cover story. While technically she hadn't lied, Raven didn't know how well the Martian was at spotting a distorted truth.

"Who would my mentor be?" Raven asked, hoping that it wasn't going to be the Martian Manhunter. She didn't want to risks them learning the truth about who Robin was, nor did she want the League to know about here origins and she knew that the Martain Manhunter had the ability to delve into another's' mind.

"Well, I have been looking for a partner for a while now." Black Canary said and smiled as she got a slight nod of agreement from Batman. '_Black Canary and Raven, hmm, that does have a nice ring to it._' Dinah thought as she sent the young teen a slight smile. "First things first, we need to get you some new clothes kiddo."

~Young Justice: Red X~

Okay so we finally got Raven into the story, but she won't have her missions with the Titans for a while still. I teamed Raven up with Black Canary for many reasons. One is because Canary has the most interaction with the Titans more than any other adult and this will give Raven the chance to interact with them more.

Another reason is because Canary is a close combat genius and hand-to-hand is Raven's weakest area. Finally, as we've seen from a couple of episodes, Canary is very good with the kids. I have no doubt her understanding nature will be very good for Raven.

I hope things didn't feel to rush or out of character, but I think I did this chapter okay. Considering that the League accepted Superboy, a clone made by evil people. Giving Raven a chance didn't seem like to far of a stretch. Raven won't join the team for a while, but there will be some occasions where she'll join the Titans or Red X on a few missions. She'll kind of be like what Zatana was.

The reason for why Zatara didn't sense Red X enter their dimension is because Red X entered into their world through science, not magic. Raven didn't technically lie to the Martian; she just twisted the truth a little.

For the poll of what roll Red X will play option 5 was picked. Meaning he will become a mentor as well as do missions on the side for Batman, but not become the team leader. We've already got a taste of Red X taking a mission from the Bat when Red X went to get Raven.

Next chapter takes place during episode three.

~Hexalys~


	11. Welcome to Happy Harbor

Wow… it's, uh, been a while huh? Alright, I'm sorry, but seriously I kind of got caught up in other things. Life, other stories, being in DISNEY WORLD for the last 8 days! I know right, how awesome is that?

All excuses and bragging aside though, what really took me so long to write this chapter was that I wanted to revise my earlier chapters. You know, like fixing my grammar and any words that I had spelt wrong, just to make the story dialect itself run smoother. Eventually, after correcting chapter four, I started to lose interest and kept pushing the task off to the side as I started delve into a new passion of mine, the Avengers.

Still, I've never really meant to take this long to post a new chapter, and this story isn't the only one suffering from a lack of updates.

So from hereby forth, I pledge myself to write more in the approaching weeks, dividing my time equally to all of my stories to make all of my viewers happy.

On a side note you guys all saw the trailer for the new Young Justice episodes right? If you haven't then you wouldn't know that their brining in Deathstroke. I saw a picture of him and was like "Holy Slade's ponytail, Batman!" All questionable choices in hairdos aside, I'm really looking forward to this. Fortunately, I never described how Slade looked in my story so you can now use his image the creators provided.

I am a little worried though, the plotlines are so unclear in the show and I don't want to screw something up in my story by jumping the gun or something. Here's hoping they don't add Raven because that would really fuck with my story. Well we'll see what happens, yes?

Now onward with the long awaited chapter elven!

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 11: Welcome to Happy Harbor 

**STAR CITY: July 17, 23:26 POT**

Red X was not impressed, not with how three members of his new team were acting without the others nor with how Speedy was acting towards said heroes. Green Arrow was worried about his protégé; apparently the two had something of a falling-out when the League had tried to make the sidekicks "honorary members" on that memorable Fourth of July. Speedy had quit, and had gone back home long enough to pack his things before moving out.

Since Green Arrow was so worried about his ward, Batman had promised to keep an eye on the younger archer and by that he really meant that Red X would keep tabs on the solo sidekick, not that Green Arrow knew that last bit. Red X had kept up with his surveillance on Speedy, shadowing him some nights to make sure the archer didn't get in over his head. It was a side mission, one that no one besides Batman knew about.

Red X agreed to the mission, though really it was more of a glorified babysitting gig than anything else. He'd once been a sidekick going out on his own before, true he'd only gone solo for a few days before he'd accidentally formed the Teen Titans, but no one besides Alfred, Batman and Clark had known that he'd struck out on his own.

Still, he knew what it felt like to cut ties with your mentor and allies, to want to prove to everyone that you're ready for so much more. He'd left Batman at the age of fourteen, believing six years had been enough for him. How wrong he'd been. Speedy was eighteen though, and ready to prove that he could handle the next level, which Red X honestly believed the young archer could do.

He'd received a call from Batman earlier that day, saying that he had Intel that said Speedy was going to bust Brick's, a low time mob leader, drug trade later that night. While Brick was stronger and more durable than human standards, Red X had no doubt that Speedy would be able to handle the situation on his own.

Batman had agreed with his assessment, saying he didn't want Red X to help Speedy, just to keep an eye on him and only to interfere if it was an emergency. Backup, he could easily play that role. So Red X had gone to the harbor where he knew Brick's drug transactions would take place and hid in the shadows of one of the larger shipping crates.

Red X had not expected to see Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad, but he did not report their appearance to Batman. He was only given orders to watch Speedy after all; he couldn't be expected to keep an eye on all of the sidekicks.

The fight with Brick and his men had gone over quick. The regular thugs proved useless against the four trained sidekicks and Speedy had quickly done away with Brick by using a very familiar inflating red adhesive. '_Clever, Speedy._' Red X thought, knowing that Speedy had taken the likes of his adhesive X and reengineered it into a weapon of his own. '_I don't use high density polyurethane foam though._' No, he used something much more dangerous, Xenothium.

As Professor Chang had said, he was a good boy who enjoyed dangerous toys.

Red X was brought out of his thoughts as he heard Speedy's response to being invited into the Titans. It was the only reason he'd decided not to join the others when they'd charged into Speedy's fight. They were trying to convince the young archer to join them, which would make his "keep an on the solo sidekick" mission much easier.

"So Speedy, you in?" Robin asked a bit too confidently, a knowing grin already playing across his face. From Speedy's tense shoulders, to the dangerously tight grip on his bow, Red X knew what the archer's answer would be.

"Pass, I'm done letting Arrow and the League telling me what to do. I don't need a babysitter or a clubhouse to hang out with the other kids! Your Junior Justice League is a joke, something to keep you busy and in your place." Red X sighed, not at all surprised by Speedy's harsh words like the three sidekicks below him.

He moved deeper into the shadows and looked back over his shoulder to see the three heroes give each other worried looks before heading back to base. '_Great, thanks for screwing with my teammates' minds already Speedy_.' Red X sighed heavily feeling like he was about to have a similar experience to when the Teen Titans had first fought Mammoth, Gizmo, and Jinx.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**MOUNT JUSTICE: July 18, 11:03 EDT**

John arrived at the Titans' headquarters only a few minutes late. Robin had called earlier that day to inform him that the team had decided to meet in order to corner Red Tornado to receive a mission. John wasn't expecting they'd get very far with Red Tornado and he seriously doubted that they'd get a mission just by asking, but he kept his opinions to himself, deciding to show up anyways.

He needed to get to know his new teammates, the two he was least worried about being able to work with well were Robin and Kid Flash. He really didn't see how he'd be unable to fight well with his younger self and Red X expected Kid Flash to fight similar to the one from his dimension.

Aqualad seemed level-headed enough and easy to work with, so besides a few training sessions, Red X believed he'd be able to work well with the Atlantian soon enough. It was Superboy and Miss Martian who worried him the most.

They were both new to Earth and how to be superheroes; he didn't know how well they could control their powers yet either. Superboy seemed to not know the extent of his abilities as his lack of flight at Cadmus had come as a surprise to the clone and John had no idea what kind of control Miss Martian had. Telepathic powers were always tricky in their own way.

As he got off of his black and white civilian motorcycle, John paused to look at the teleporters the League used. Batman had asked for his DNA a few days ago to put into the system so that he could be beamed directly into Mount Justice. Of course he had refused, his DNA was the same as Robin's, he didn't know how the computer system would react to that.

John did know using the transporters would be a quick way to reveal his true identity though, as the damn system announced the names of those arriving. So no, he could never travel that way. Batman hadn't understood, but he hadn't pushed the issue either. Most of the League now thought that he was hiding something immoral and were even more suspicious of him than beforel.

Shadey accusations were not something he needed more of at the moment.

He ran a black gloved hand through his short hair, brushing light over his spiked bangs to make sure they were still holding strong. His civilian outfit was what he usually wore when not dealing with his company businesses. His outfit was similar to what he'd worn when visiting the doctor a month ago.

John wore a long white trench coat that had black straps mainly located on his arms and chest. For his shirt he wore a thin black turtleneck that a red x on each shoulder. The gloves on his hands were stretchy, thick and black. His black pants were a simple material and tucked into the steel toed boots he wore when mascaraiding as Red X.

A gray multi-compartment belt with a red x on it was wrapped around his waist and a small white duffle-like bag hung off of the side of the belt. The bag was hidden from sight thanks to his trench coat and inside it carried his Red X mask. Only those with x-ray vision like Superman would be able to tell that he was wearing his Red X suit under his clothes. To finish off the ensemble he wore a pair of sunglasses to cover his contact brown colored eyes

Batman had taught him early to always have his suit on him, one never knew when the Joker or Riddler were going to attack. They couldn't exactly leave the party to go back to the Bat cave and change. He and Batman had taken to wearing their suits under their clothes whenever they'd gone out in public and it was something John had kept up after he'd left Gotham.

The gloves of his Red X suit were much too recognizable, he felt he was pushing his cover just by wearing his belt out in the open. He could have simply taken them off and stored them in the small bag that held his mask, but he didn't want to leave any fingerprints behind. One scan and his entire cover would be blown.

He approached Aqualad, Superboy and Miss Martian who were gathered in front of a holo-monitor in the control room. Superboy turned towards him, having heard him first no doubt due to his super hearing, before grunting which was probably the clone's way of saying hello. Miss Martian saw him next and her eyes instantly turned wary. She raised her hands in self-defense, causing Aqualad to turn towards him.

"Hey team." John called simply, very much aware of the fact that two of his teammates did not recognize him. Superboy turned back to him, an eyebrow raised in surprise as he obviously expected John's voice to have that same metallic tone to it that Red X had. John saw both Aqualad and Miss Martian visibly relax. Aqualad opened his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by the announcement of Robin's and Kid Flash's arrival.

"**Recognize: Robin B-01, Kid Flash B-03.**"

In all honesty John did not feel comfortable in his civvies, but Batman had asked him to do this. Actually some League members were complaining about how they didn't know his identity, so they couldn't trust him. He decided letting them now his civilian alias couldn't do too much harm and if it got some of the League of his back, then John just considered it a bonus.

Robin paused at seeing him, his head moving up and down slowly, letting John know that his appearance was probably being memorized by the Boy Wonder. Kid Flash made a bigger show of the whole situation, but then again John expected this reaction to come from the young speedster.

"Whoa, who's the creepy thug?" Kid Flash asked making John to furrow his eyebrows. He hadn't tried to look creepy or thug-like, just mildly intimidating.

In truth, he'd been a little unsure about what was acceptable for civilian clothes. He'd just chosen to wear an outfit close to what he'd worn in Tokyo while hiding from Detective Uehara. Then again, he had stolen those clothes from a bunch of street punks. Thinking it over John mentally shrugged, he was somewhat comfortable in the clothes he was wearing. If he came off as creepy and thuggish, well, he really didn't care.

"It's Red X, Kid Mouth. Who else would it be?" Robin said as he moved towards John a little and gave a slight wave as hello. Before Kid Flash could retort Robin turned to address Aqualad. "Did you ask him?"

"What'd he say?" Kid Flash asked as he joined the group, the previous discussion about John's creepy look seemingly forgotten.

"He is just arriving now." Aqualad answered as he turned to the two younger boys. Kid Flash and Robin smiled in response before the young speedster nudged a fist into Robin's shoulder.

"What are we waiting for?" Kid Flash asked happily before he ran towards the entrance bay John had arrived through at a normal speed so that Robin could keep up. The others followed at a more subdued pace while Miss Martian hovered ahead slightly. As they met Red Tornado oustside John hung back from the others slightly, preferring to be a part of the conversation from a far.

"Red Tornado!" Kid Flash called out loudly to be heard over the whipping winds said android was creating.

"Greetings, is there a reason you intercept me outside of the cave?" The red robot asked, his head tilting slightly to focus on John for a second before he returned his attention to the others.

"We hoped you had a mission for us." Aqualad explained in a calmer tone.

"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility." Red Tornado stated flatly. '_He's a robot guys, asking him for a mission will get us nowhere._' John thought mentally. He was sure that most of the team was aware of this fact, but asking Red Tornado for something was a whole lot better than asking Batman.

"But it's been over a week and nothing's-" Robin started to say before Red Tornado raised a hand to silence him.

"You'll be tested soon enough, for the time being, simply enjoy each other's company." Red Tornado said. John nodded his head in agreement. The missions would come eventually, until that time they should be practicing on their teamwork and individual skills.

"This team is not a social club." Aqualad said firmly and John could see the others mildly glaring at Red Tornado. He sighed, things were already looking bad. The Titans were too eager to go out and fight, when they should be using this time to train. Hot tempers lead to rash decisions.

"No, but I am told social interaction is an important team building exercise. Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarizing yourself with the cave." Red Tornado suggested as he moved toward the entrance bay.

John almost followed him. He looked from his sulking and glaring team to the emotionless, but wise robot and knew whose company he preferred at the moment. He was also partially curious about Red Tornado as there hadn't been a version of the red android in his world. John was brought out of his ponderings of the approaching android as Kid Flash punched Robin lightly in the shoulder.

"Keep busy." Kid Flash said simply, obviously hinting to what Speedy had said last night. '_Again, Speedy, thanks for screwing with my team._' John tiredly thought as he sighed softly and looked over at Red Tornado as the android walked by.

"Does he think we're falling for this?" Robin asked somewhat loudly and John slowly shook his head knowing that the others simply weren't getting it. A team takes time to build, much like trust, which is essential in teamwork.

"_**Patience my friend, trust is easily broken, but it takes time to build.**_"

John shook his head again, but this time to relieve himself of the unexpected and unwanted memory. He looked back at Red Tornado, who had stopped moving and was looking at him. They held each other's stare for a few seconds before Red Tornado nodded his head and continued inside. '_Now what was that about?_' John was brought out of his thoughts by Aqulad's slightly bitter tone.

"And now we tour the clubhouse." The Atlantian said sharing a look with Robin and Kid Flash. Superboy frowned, obviously realizing that he was missing something while Miss Martian seemed oblivious.

"Well Superboy and I live here, we can play tour guides." Miss Martian offered warmly. John almost chuckled at the alarmed look Superboy's face. The others turned towards him and the clones' expression let up slightly.

"Don't look at me." The teen responded, off guard enough to forget to growl his answer like he usually did.

"We won't, a private tour sounds much more fun." Kid Flash said as he leaned forward a little and ogled the confused alien girl next to him.

"She never said private." Robin remarked in an annoyed tone as he took a step towards Kid Flash and narrowed his eyebrows. John raised his own brows in response. Robin seemed to be a little defensive went it came to the alien red head.

"Team building, we'll all go." Aqualad said simply and the others turned to move back inside, John leading the way slightly until Miss Martian flew ahead. His steps eventually fell in place next to Superboy's as Robin and Kid Flash began to have a hushed conversation.

The tour went on for a while and John paid close attention to everything that was being said, committing everything to memory. There had never been a Mount Justice in his world either. There had only ever been the Watchtower.

Eventually the tour came to a conclusion at the underwater entrance where John learned that Mount Justice's location was not so secret. As Miss Martian pointed out her worries about being attacked constantly Robin grabbed her hand and tried to reassure here that hiding in plain sight was also a good cover. John silently found himself agreeing with Miss Martian though, they would need to be on their guard at all times just in case.

'_Maybe younger me also has a thing for red heads?_' John asked himself quiettly as the boy tried and failed to ease Miss Martian's worries. John's thoughts quickly turned to Starfire. True, he was happy that she'd found love with Beast Boy, but a part of his worn heart still belonged to her.

"I smell something burning." Superboy announced suddenly, interrupting John's trip down memory.

"Oh, my cookies!" Miss Martian shouted suddenly as she flew off down the nearest hallway. The Titans followed after her in a run, even Superboy.

When he arrived at the kitchen, John was greeted to the sight of eighteen charcoaled cookies that might have actually turned out well if they'd been taken out pf the oven on time. '_At least they look about right._' John thought as the burnt smell filled his nose. '_Starfire's cooking was like gambling with your taste buds' continued existance._' John grimaced slightly as he watched Kid Flash start to eat the burnt sweets.

"I… have a serious metabolism…" Kid Flash explained slowly to all the weird looks he was getting.

"I'll make more?" Miss Martian said uncertainly as she smiled slightly towards the speedster.

"It was sweet of you to make any." The Atlantian by John's side said and John nodded his head in agreement.

"Thanks Aqualad, Red X." Miss Martian said in reply as she shyly folded her arms in front of her.

"We're off duty. Call me Kaldur'ahm, actually my friends call me Kaldur." Aqualad, Kaldur, said warmly as he smiled at the Martian.

"I'm Wally; see I already trust you with my secret ID, Unlike Mr. Dark Glasses over here. Batman's forbidden Boy Wonder here from telling anyone his real name." Kid Flash said, not one to be outdone in front of a pretty girl. John rolled his eyes. '_Same old Wally West then, glad to see some things will never change._'

"Mine's no secret, it's M'gann M'orzz, but you can call me Megan. It's an Earth name and I'm on Earth now." The female of the team said to a grinning Wally.

"John Strike, but I prefer Red X."

Silence filled the room as John looked away from the others while still watching their reactions from the corner of his eye. He saw Megan smile, obviously pleased that he'd decided to share his name with the team. Wally was looking at him with his mouth slightly open, probably already believing that John was not going to reveal his identity so easily. Kaldur simply nodded and Superboy frowned again, which honestly could mean anything.

Robin though, was smirking at him. An eyebrow was raised and John easily pick up on what the kid was saying through body language alone. '_That's the best you could come up with?_' John just shrugged in reply and Robin's smirk became a full-blown grin. Batman had clearly told his protégé that John Strife was an alias.

"Get out of my head!" Superboy shouted suddenly and John turned to look towards a confused Megan.

'_**What's wrong? I don't understand, everyone on Mars communicates telepathically.**_' Megan mentally said. John flinched slightly in surprise at her voice and watched somewhat calmly as the others cringed forwards to grab their heads.

"M'gann stop!" Kaldur said firmly, surprising Miss Martian and John felt her presence leave his mind. "Things are different on Earth. Here your powers are an extreme invasion of privacy." Kaldur explained more calmly.

"Besides, Cadmus' creepy little psychic Geno-nomes left a bad taste in his brain." Wally said rudely as he pointed at Superboy who understandably became angered at the reminder of being controlled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Megan began to say before Superboy cut her off.

"Just stay out." He growled before he left the room to go and sit on the couch, looking away from everyone. After a few seconds of silence John also left the kitchen and leaned on the wall next to the couch as he crossed his arms. Superboy glanced back at him for a second before turning back to glare at the wall.

John knew what it was like to be controlled, in more ways than one. He'd been under the control of his enemies more times than he cared to remember and yet those were some of the memories that stuck out the most. Fighting the Gotham police and Batman while under the Mad Hatter's control, forced into a never ending fear filled illusion that had him lashing out at civilians thanks to the Scarecrow, becoming Slade's apprentice.

Oh yes, John new exactly how terrible it was to be controlled.

"Red X… Superboy, please." Miss Marian asked dragging John out of his bitter memories. He saw that the kitchen had cleared, and was a little irritated that he'd allowed his memories to distract him so much that he'd failed to notice when the others had left.

"Don't talk to me." Superboy said quietly and John pushed himself off the wall. He looked over at Superboy, who had turned towards them and nodded his head towards the sad alien girl. Superboy closed his eyes and slightly nodded his head before getting off the couch, walking towards Megan and into the hallway. John trailed behind the two until they reached the elevator.

"It's my Martian Bio-ship." Megan said loudly as the elevator doors opened to the hanger bay.

"Cute, not very aerodynamic, but cute." Wally muttered and Megan smiled at him.

"It's at rest silly, I'll wake it." The Martian said as she raised her hand and the red alien pod-like plane shifted sideways, increasing in size and developing wings. Again Megan raised her hand and the ship responded, turning forwards and opening its back ramp so that they could enter the ship.

'_Well it's not the T-ship, but it's still pretty cool._' John thought as he moved ahead of the group to look inside. He was greeted to a morphing room, the chairs and control panels literally taking shape before his eyes.

"Strap in and prepare for lift off." Megan said as she took her place at the controls. Five chairs shot out of the floor, two on seats on each side of the oval shaped cockpit and one in the middle located a few feet in front of Megan's. John waited until everyone took their seats, leaving the one in the middle open. As he sat down, the harness clasped over his chest in the shape of an x.

"Red Tornado, open the hanger's door please." Megan asked before they took off, twisting and soaring through the air in a way that would have been impossible for most Earth aircrafts. In front of him he saw, as well as heard, Kaldur give Superboy advice on how to apologize to Megan. From behind he could hear Robin telling Megan that Superboy hadn't meant what he'd said earlier and Wally wisely pointed out that Superboy could hear them.

John felt like this must have been what high school was like.

He watched with interest as Megan shape-shifted her form into female versions of Robin and Kid Flash. Eventually, John closed his eyes and listened as Robin made fun of Wally to make Megan feel better about her lack of skill. As he made mental notes about what skills his teammates could and couldn't accomplish yet, Red Tornado's voice broke through the easygoing atmosphere that had taken up residence in the cockpit.

"Red Tornado to Miss Martian, an emergency alert has been triggered at the Happy Harbor power plant. I suggest you investigate, covertly. I'm sending you the coordinates." Red Tornado said before ending the transmission.

"Received, adjusting course." Megan said professionally and the Bio-ship titled slightly to the left.

"Pssh, Tornado's just keeping us busy again." Robin said from his seat and John felt his head shake in response.

"Or he's giving us that test he was talking about earlier." John said out loud with his eyes still closed. He could feel everyone's gaze land on him so he continued. "The League is not going to send us head first into any kind of covert situation unless they believe we can handle it. They might be testing us now, in a controlled situation, to see how we'll handle ourselves." He opened his eyes to see everyone thinking about what he said. "Then again it could be something else entirely."

"I don't think we'll be doing this one covertly." Superboy said as he pointed at a tornado that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was dangerously close to the Bio-ship.

"Everybody brace yourselves!" John shouted as he felt the ship get pulled into the strong wind currents. The tornado launched them in all different directions in a matter of seconds, jerking them painfully against their harnesses. Suddenly they started flying straight again and quickly flew out of the tornado's pull. "Good work Miss Martian." John complimented as she landed the ship.

"Thanks Red X." She replied and John started to remove his civilian clothes.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Kid Flash said as he sped forward to cover Megan's eyes. John rolled his own eyes from behind his sunglasses and peeled off his turtleneck to reveal his Red X suit.

"I'm getting ready for whatever may be out there. I always come prepared." John explained as he turned away from the others to take off his sunglasses and put on his mask.

"Titans Go!" Red X shouted in a familiar metallic tone that Miss Martian flinched at. They ran off the ship and onto the parking lot to find employees screaming as the fled from the tornado that was dangerously close to the power plant.

"Robin are tornados common in New England?" Aqualad asked only to be answered with the sound of an eerie laugh that Red X was beginning to believe to be Robin's calling card. "Robin?"

"He was just here." Miss Martian said in confusion and Superboy grunted in agreement.

"To answer your question Aqualad, does it matter at this point?" Red X answered sarcastically as he moved to help a nearby woman who was panicking so badly she looked as if she were about to collapse against her car. "Mam, I need you to take deep breaths and calm down." He ordered gently as he gave her his right arm to grab onto. She practically buried her face into his chest as she cried and begged for his help.

He spoke calmly into her ear and repeated his earlier instructions continuously. Her grip was tight, but he didn't ask her loosen it because he knew her hold on him was psychologically grounding her, keeping her in check with the situation. After a minute she calmed down, he helped her into her car and she thanked him profusely.

"Alright team, our first priority should be to get the civilians clear of the-" Red X cut himself off as he turned to see that the Titans were no longer behind him. He turned and cursed as he saw them enter the building, running past the screaming and frantic people. "Damn it!"

Red X teleported to the top of the building and turned towards the raging tornado that seemed to be losing its' momentum slightly. He sent out the largest constrictive X he could make, which was about the size of a two-story house, in front of the building to barricade it somewhat. He then turned towards the parking lot and shot two more X's down into the ground to give the escaping civilians a shield against the powerful winds.

His suit alerted him to large drop in power levels as he dropped down into the factory below where he found the source of the tornados. A giant red being with a scarf hiding his lower face. '_Taking on an unknown enemy with only 50% power, I am not liking these odds._' Red X jumped into action at seeing his team, except for Kid Flash, knocked out on the floor. He launched a sidekick into the attackers' back, sending him sprawling outside and into the ground.

"Another child? Are there not any real heroes in the vicinity to challenge me?" The big red guy said as he stood up and wiped the dirt from his shoulders.

"Sorry, but if you want play in the big leagues, you'll have to prove you're worth their time." Red X replied as he pulled out his Bo Staff. He charged forward only to roll out of the way of the mini cyclone that had been shot at him. '_He uses powerful long ranged attacks that are too fast for me to avoid, getting close to him will be impossible the normal way._'

"Already giving up boy?" The enemy taunted and Red X smiled in response.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" He shouted before he teleported behind his target and swung his staff at the large tube-like structures sticking out of his opponents' arms. '_Maybe he has a weakness similar to Bane and I can just cut off his power supply._' Red X reasoned with himself.

His opponent turned a the last second, making his staff crash into his enemies' forearm instead. Big red brought up his other hand to unleash another cyclone and Red X teleported a safe distance away to avoid the hit. Suddenly, a redish blur shot by in front of his face and charged straight at the enemy.

"Kid Flash, wait!" He shouted but his warning was ignored and Kid Flash was hit by the tornado Red X had managed to escape seconds ago. As he moved to teleport after his teammate, he spotted the others climb out of the building and saw Miss Martian catch Kid Flash before he could hit the ground. He teleported behind Superboy to rejoin his team.

"I thought all of you would have learned your limits by now." The enemy said as he slowly began to rise into the air.

"What do you want?" Aqualad shouted and Red X frowned at the Atlantian's lack of control. He turned to look at the rest of the Titans and found that all of them, except for Miss Martian, looked angry and irritated. '_This is not good; we'll lose if everyone doesn't calm down._'

"Isn't it obvious? I'm waiting for a real hero." The enemy taunted from his place high in the sky. '_Well that won't ease their tempers any._' Red X thought sardonically and was proven right as Aqualad shouted at Miss Martian to read the enemies' mind. His belief was only reinforced when Robin shouted at Miss Martian when she questioned the use of her powers, seeing as the others had told her not to use them earlier.

Then when Miss Martian revealed that she couldn't read the enemies mind, she announced that Mister Twister must be Red Tornado due to his special ability to create cyclones. Red X made to protest, but the others quickly latched onto her explaination. Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad seemingly agreeing that Speedy had been right and that they were all being tested.

"Are you you guys serious? You really think Red Tornado would put those people in danger just to keep us busy?" He shouted at them and while Miss Martian seemed to reevaluate her earlier statement, the others pressed forward.

"He can control tornados, X, he can shut them down whenever he wants. No one was ever really in danger." Robin explained before he moved to confront whom he believed to be Red Tornado.

"You said it yourself dude, the League is just testing us." Kid Flash agreed as he moved forward. "Speedy called, it we're a joke. This game is so over." The speedster said as he moved forward with the rest of his angry teammates. Red X moved to stop them when Miss Martians hand grabbed his arm. He turned back to tell her to let go, but stopped at seeing the worried look she was sending him.

"What if you're right? What if that isn't Red Tornado?" She asked and Red X pulled back slightly, watching as his three teammates shouted up at the enemy in anger. He caught Superboy looking over at him in confusion. Red X nodded and Superboy did the same before moving closer to him and Miss Martian.

"Then we're all about to learn a painful lesson for not taking this fight seriously." He said coldly and her arm fell limply to her side. He stayed close to her though; ready to move to protect her for when things went sour.

Sometimes, Red X hated being right.

Mister Twister summoned up two thrashing tornados that slammed into each other to create a massive electrical storm brewing overhead. He heard Kid Flash ask if Red Tornado could do that before Mister Twister sent a lightning bolt down at them. Red X turned just in time to cover Miss Martian from most of the blast and was flung backwards. He hit the ground hard and everything went black.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Megan brought up a hand to her head, she felt dizzy and there was something heavy lying on her chest. She sat up slightly and almost gasped when she saw Red X draped on top of her, his left arm still wrapped protectively around her waist. She moved him to the ground, laying him on his back and mentally checked to make sure he was okay.

She let out a relived sigh when she found that he was merely unconscious and would awaken soon. She looked up suddenly, remembering that Mister Twister was the cause of her friends' current state and the saw the android flying towards them. Using her mental link with the Bio-ship, Megan summoned the camouflaged vessel to hide her and her team. On her other side, Megan heard Kid Flash start to stir and she moved to cover his mouth so that he wouldn't blow their cover.

"I do not have time to play hide and seek, children." Mister Twister said as he looked down directly at them yet didn't see them. "Know this, interfere with me again and I will not hesitate to destroy you." The android continued before he flew into the direction of the harbor.

"What happened?" Kid Flash asked as the others pulled themselves off the ground.

"I hid us from Mister Twister by using the Bio-ship-" She was interrupted by Superboy who punched at some rocks that had been made when Mister Twister had blasted him into the ground.

"And that's supposed to make things okay? You tricked us into believing he was Red Tornado!" He shouted as he charged towards.

"She did not do it on purpose." Aqualad said calmly as he moved forward and stopped Superboy's approach.

"It was a rookie mistake; we should never have listened to her." Robin explained further to the clone and shared an uneasy look with Kid Flash. "How's Red X doing, is he okay?" Robin asked as he moved over to the only unconscious Titan.

Megan looked over at the skull masked teen and felt her spirits sink lower than they already were. '_I can't do anything right._' She felt horrible; not only for screwing up, but that her mistake had hurt Red X. '_You said we'd all learn a painful lesson, you were right. I'm so sorry._'

"He's alright, just unconscious, he protected me from most of Mister Twisters' attack." She said quietly, though she knew the others still heard her.

"Hey, uh, hit the showers. We can handle it from here." Kid Flash said, but she didn't look up at him.

"Stay out of the way." Superboy growled and that, if possible, made her feel even worse than she already felt. She bowed her head to hide the tears that were beginning to build in the corner of her eyes. She hadn't meant for everything to turn out so wrong.

"I just wanted to be part of the team." She said miserably to the only Titan who had remained behind. She heard Aqualad sigh and she wondered what her Uncle J'hnn would say at this moment.

"To be honest, I'm not sure there is a team." The Atlantian muttered before he ran off after the others. She turned back to Red X and sighed. Everything was a mess, it would be best if she just returned back to base. Perhaps she could help the Titans somehow that way.

With a heavy heart, Megan levitated Red X into the Bio-ship and headed back to headquarters.

~Young Justice: Red X~

When he awoke, Red X wasn't sure how much time had passed since he'd been knocked out. He found himself sitting in his chair on the Bio-ship and staring at a teary eyed Megan. He looked around the cockpit to find it empty.

"Where are the other Titans? What happened to Mister Twister?" He asked and she sighed sadly before she explained what had happened while he'd been unconscious.

She told him about how she'd been wrong about Mister Twister and how she'd been able to hide the team, but then Mister Twister had stormed off to attack the town and the others had followed, telling her to "hit the showers." He tightened his fists in anger and she must have sensed his mood because she flinched and started to apologize.

"I-I'm s-sorry, you knew that he wasn't R-red Tornado, b-but I-"

"Realized you might be wrong and proceeded with caution." Red X said, cutting off her apology and met her wide wet eyes evenly. "You and Superboy where the only ones who did not foolishly approach Mister Twister like he wasn't a threat. Don't let Robin and Kid Flash blame you for how things turned out. I warned them and they didn't listen, that's not your fault. They were the ones who made the rookie mistake, true you jumped the gun a little, but you still kept your head about you, they didn't." Red X explained and Megan nodded her head in thanks.

A holo-screen suddenly appeared in front of him and Red X found himself staring at Red Tornado. He was about to ask what the android wanted when Megan spoke up and started to explain the situation. Red X sat back and let her talk, wondering where this would go.

"So you see, the team really needs your help." She finished anxiously as the Bio-ship approached Mount Justice.

"If I interfere, it will not be to help. Still, it is an odd coincidence that this Twister shares my elemental abilities and my immunity to telepathy." Red Tornado answered and Red X smirked slightly at the android for letting the Titans continue their first fight.

"Hello Megan." Megan said in sudden realization as she hit her forehead lightly, her mood sounding much better than a few seconds ago.

"Thanks for the help Red Tornado." Red X said to the android that turned to look at him.

"I have no idea what you are referring to Red X." The android said simply before cutting the feed. He turned to Megan who looked over at him with a smile, her dry eyes looking more determined than before.

"I take it you have a plan?" He asked and somehow, her smile got even wider.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Red X watched the scene from some nearby cliffs as the Titans launched their surprise attack, glad to see Miss Martian's idea work as Superboy launched Mister Twister into the ocean where Aqualad was waiting.

Miss Martian had had a place for him in her plan; he would have arrived with her while invisible as she pretended to be Red Tornado and would have attacked with Robin. Instead, Red X had decided to stay behind, he would be there for the team if they needed backup, but he'd doubted that they would need it. From behind him Red X heard the sound of whipping winds and he turned to see Red Tornado land a few feet behind him.

"I thought you said you weren't going to interfere with their fight?" Red X asked as he smirked at the android.

"I did, I never said anything about not watching it though, did I?" Red Tornado responded and Red X shook his head lightly in return. "Why did you not join them, your presence would not have been a hindrance to the Titans. Indeed, if my calculations are correct, you stood the highest chance of beating Mister Twister with an 88.47% probability of succeeding."

"And that's why I'm not down there right now. I'm up here for the same reason you are Tornado, to make sure they learn how to fight on their own. The League won't always be there to bail them out; they need to learn how to stand on their own two feet." Red X answered, not even flinching as Miss Martian dropped a rock on the man who had climbed out of the Mister Twister suit. He knew the man had been just as robotic as Mister Twister.

"You are a Titan as well, should they not come to rely on you? Should you not also learn to stand on your own?" Red Tornado asked and Red X sighed in response.

"I learned that lesson a very long time ago." It was silent on the cliff for a few minutes before Red X turned to find Red Tornado studying him.

"Yes, I can see that you have." The android paused for a minute before he continued. "Come, the Titans should be arriving at the base soon, we should be there to greet them." Red Tornado said before he offered Red X his hand.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I've had enough of tornados for one day." Red X explained as he moved towards the direction of Mount Justice. "Hey, Tornado, race you back to base?" He challenged with a smirk before he teleported out of the android's sight.

After several high-speed jumps, Red X landed into the middle of Mount Justice only to be greeted by Red Tornado. Red X called cheats and Red Tornado calmly explained to the young hero why he'd lost. At some point during the android's explanation the Titans had returned to base and entered the room towards the end of their conversation.

"I still don't see how you made it back here before me." Red X muttered as he folded his arms over his chest and frowned at the android next to him.

"If you wish for me to reiterate then so be it. As I explained before the velocity at which I can travel the fastest is-" Red Tornado began to explain again, before Red X interrupted him.

"Alright, alright, I get, you were built to be very fast. How about we turn our attention to the robotic remains of the bad guy that wanted to reprogram you?" Red X gestured to the team and to the table covered in said remains.

"Yeah, it came here after you Red Tornado. Is that why you decided not to help us?" Megan asked and Red Tornado shook his head.

"No, I did not involve myself for it was your battle. I will not insert myself into your problems, just as you will not involve yourself with my own problems." Red Tornado said and Miss Martian moved to protest, but stopped when Red X placed a hand on her shoulder.

'_**He let the Titans fight their own battle, we can return the favor. That doesn't mean that we won't be standing on a cliff nearby, ready to jump in when he needs us.**_' He said to her telepathically and he smirked slightly as her eyes widened.

'_**You're a telepath too?**_' She asked excitedly and he shook his head.

'_**No, I can only contact someone who's telepathic and has already formed a link with me.**_' Megan nodded her head in understanding.

"-guess the best babysitter we could ask for is the one without a heart." Robin said aloud and Red X turned to glare at his younger self before looking to Red Tornado who was still well within hearing range.

"Dude, that was harsh." Wally said as he elbowed the younger boy in the ribs.

"Actually I do have a heart; it's made of steel-chromium alloy. I also have enhanced hearing as well." Red Tornado said from his spot in the hallway without turning around.

"Uh, sorry Red Tornado, I'll try to be more… accurate in the future." Robin said, clearly embarrassed at being heard.

"And more respectful." Kaldur added as he nudged the Boy Wonder.

The three Titans turned to walk towards the kitchen and Red X could hear each teen saying that Speedy might just be wrong about the team. He turned to move down the hallway that led to the entrance bay where he'd parked his bike and caught a muttered sorry coming from Superboy towards Megan.

"Uh, Red X?" Megan began; he stopped and turned towards her, waiting for her to continue. "Thanks for what you said on the Bio-ship, it really means a lot to me." The Martian said as she looked down at her hands.

"You're an asset to this team Miss Martian; you proved that earlier with your plan. Don't let anyone push you around Megan, especially if they're your teammates." Red X said simply before he continued down the hallway.

Red X decided, as he got on his bike, that all in all the teams' first battle hadn't turned out so bad. He shot out of the base and headed towards Bludhaven, looking forward to telling Raven about the days' events and about her furture teammates.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Whew, over eight thousand words! How's that for a chapter long overdue? I really hope you guys like this chapter, I spent three days writing it.

Kind of a lot of Megan in this chapter, but I felt like this episode was revolved around her and her issues of trying to fit in with the team. In the end I decided not to have Red X fight Mister Twister because honestly, everyone only gave about one good hit before they passed him off to the next Titan. I much rather preferred Red X's talk with Red Tornado instead.

Red Tornado, perhaps one of my favorite characters from the first season. I mean really, the robot kicks total ass. Tornado also wants to be more human, which is something I think Red X would be able to understand considering all the "I'm more than a machine" moments Cyborg used to have.

Anyways, thanks for reading and leave a review to let me know how I did!

~Hexalys~


	12. A Welcoming Party Like No Other Part l

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

First off, I meant for this chapter to be out last night, but I kind of pushed it off to the side and party'd instead. Heh, sorry. I've completely committed myself to updating this story at least once a month, so there'll be no terribly long waits. This will allow me the chance to spread my attention evenly among my stories.

Okay, I got a lot of reviews and PM's saying that I made Red X out of character, which I really don't think I did. Sure he talked a lot more in the last chapter, but it wasn't like anything he said was a bunch of bullshit. Every time he opened his mouth it was to offer information or guidance. He'll be doing that in the future too, helping the others become better heroes and eventually connecting with some of them. That's not out of character, that's developing a character.

Another thing, I realize Raven wasn't in the last chapter and yes, I did that on purpose. I had no idea this was going to be a big thing for you guys. I mentioned her briefly at the end, but I didn't feel like there was a dire need to go right into what she's going through. You'll get some Raven in this chapter and the next so chill people.

Also, if anyone is interested, I made a music video concerning Young Justice: Red X on my Youtube channel, just type in _**Young Justice Red X**_ in the search bar and click on the fourth video down.

Now then, let's get this part started!

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 12: A Welcoming Party Like No Other Part l

**GOTHAM CITY: July 19, 23:12 EST**

Something wasn't right, Batman knew that for certain. His tabs on Bane's operation in Santa Prisca reported that he suddenly stopped all shipment, with no visible explanation for as to why. His gut instinct warned him that something was up and so he'd decided to call in Red X to investigate.

There'd been no response.

The younger heroes' radio silence didn't sit well with the Dark Knight, not at all. He tried contacting John Strike's listed residence only to get an answering machine that hadn't even been personalized yet. He asked Robin to try to contact the hero, just to see if Red X was purposefully ignoring his calls, but the young sidekick had the same results.

It wasn't until he got a call from Commissioner Gordon two hours later that the Dark Knight felt something like unease grasp at his insides. He arrived at the precinct in record time with Robin trailing silently behind him. It was unnatural for his partner to be so quiet and it let Batman know that his ward had realized that something was wrong too.

"It's good to see you Batman, Robin." Jim Gordon greeted and Batman sent a nod towards the older man before turning his attention to the two culprits sitting in the interrogation room. "We picked them up a few hours ago, out cold and left in some random alleyway. They were almost sent to the hospital when one of the on duty officers recognized the bulletin that had been put out on the one to the left." The aged officer explained as he pointed towards the burly red bearded man sporting a bruised jaw.

"His name is Patrick O'Malley, thirty-eight years old and convicted of three armed robberies as well as the lead suspect to a murder case over in Bludhaven. When we started reading him his rights, O'Malley interrupted, claiming that he had valuable information on a missing hero and that he wanted to make a deal. I thought it best to call you, just in case there was any truth to what O'Malley's been saying." Gordon said as he held up the convicts' file for Batman to look over.

The cape crusader took it without confirming O'Malley's statement to be true and sent a measuring look over at the second perpetrator. He was young, probably around Red X's age, with dirty blond hair and a pock-marked face. His stained and wrinkled clothes hung off his thin frame, making the boy look even smaller to Gotham's Dark Knight.

"Do we have any information on the other one?" He asked stoically as he quickly read over the file and heard Gordon sigh heavily in response.

"That would be Michael Jacobson, a seventeen year old who ran away from his abusive father a couple months ago. We've been searching for him ever since he was reported missing. He's had a clean record, this would be his first offense; he's a brilliant kid really. He was signed on to join Star City's Technology and Science College Center when he graduated from high school. It doesn't look like that'll happen now."

Batman narrowed his eyes at the words on the papers in his hands, but didn't really take them in. How many times had he seen a kids' life ruined because of one bad decision? Michael most likely had no other choice but to take the job, whatever it was, just so that he could earn some money that he no doubt needed. Batman looked at the teenager again and saw, not a criminal, but a desperate, frightened boy with no other options.

"Separate the two of them, if anyone is going to get a deal, it should be the boy." Batman growled as he took in the crooked and cocky smirk on O'Malley's face while Michael subtly brushed his dirty shaking hands over his suddenly too wet eyes.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**CENTRAL CITY: July 20, 19:41 EST**

The first few days at Black Canary's –_call me Dinah when we aren't in costume_ _Raven_- home were awkward to say the least. Raven was of course used to the uncomfortable atmosphere and the long pauses that filled their few forced conversations. It had taken most of the Teen Titans a while to warm up to her at first too.

Dinah didn't act like most of the Teen Titans though. She wasn't annoyingly persistent like Starfire had been, nor was she oblivious like Beast Boy. No, she was more like Cyborg and Robin, both boys had respected her privacy and had left her alone most of the time. Dinah did like to talk though, not about herself, but about how they would work with each other in the future.

Training had started, though it wasn't the kind Raven was used to. When she'd been a Titan, Robin had designed everyone's training regime. He'd had them focus on their unique talents and taught them how to gain better control over their powers. Everyone, except for Beast Boy and Robin, had been beginners, new to the life of a hero. She, Starfire, and Cyborg had to learn control, to pay attention to their surroundings, to not endanger those that they were trying to help.

Here though, while Dinah said she could still use improvement in controlling her powers, it was no longer considered her greatest weakness. Now it was close physical combat that proved to be Raven's downfall. She'd been taken down by Dinah in a matter of seconds in their first spar, her mentor promised to help her though and Raven was determined to learn, if not for herself and Robin, then for the Black Canary.

Dinah meant well, that much Raven could tell and it wasn't like Dinah didn't know what she was doing. She was obviously a master in hand-to-hand combat. Dinah honestly meant to help her become a better hero. It was just that Raven was a naturally guarded person and she wasn't ready to let the other woman in that deep.

She worked well with the Black Canary during training, following silent orders and cues that she'd learned from Robin. Dinah had nothing but praises for her. It was nice; Raven had never really had any kind of a relationship with the adults back in her dimension.

Life outside of training though, was vastly different from what she'd experienced as a Teen Titan.

During the early hours of the day she was being prepared for her first time in High School as a sophomore, her civilian name was to be Rachel Roth, Robin had suggested it. She went over history, literature, mathematics and science, and by the end of the day, Raven was happy to learn the things that she did.

Education had never been the Titans' main concern. She knew that Robin had already completed his schooling at the age of fifteen, but it never occurred to her how much he'd had to learn. She didn't mind the schooling though, she found most of the things she learned to be fascinating. What really worried Raven was that she would actually be going to a public school, surrounded by other people constantly and expected to get along with them.

Dinah had told her not to worry so much and that she wouldn't be alone as the League had pulled some strings and had gotten her into the same classes with one of the Titans, whom she would be going to meet in a couple of days.

The Titans, Raven wasn't really sure how she felt about this new group of heroes who took her old teams' title.

Robin had warned her about how parallel this place was to their world, how they had their own version of Aqualad and their own, albeit younger, Robin. Did that mean there were other versions of her friends here as well? Perhaps a younger Beast Boy, one who would be even more immature than the one she'd come to know? Raven paled at the very idea. Still, a part of her wanted to see her friends again, even though she knew these people could never be her original teammates.

Robin, he was another major change to the world she'd woken up in. Her friend and leader had changed so much in the year that she'd been… gone. No longer did he bare the name that he'd so proudly taken as his own, but that of a failed disguise, Red X.

Raven could honestly admit to herself that she would never be able to call Robin that alias without it leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She did not like seeing her friend stuck in that costume once more, she did not like being unable to hear his voice without that cold metallic tone masking it.

Raven had not seen Robin since he'd found her the other night in that alleyway. She had left Slade's Old Haunt, it had not escaped her notice that her friend had taken the base as his own, and had left with the Black Canary. He'd stayed behind, starring hard at a computer screen, his back turned to her as she left. Batman had stayed behind as well.

After that, she had a few brief telepathic conversations with him; Robin had given her the frequency and access code to his comlink, which she used sparingly. She much preferred their telepathic talks; she could pick up on his feelings more easily that way.

Not much had been said between her and Robin on a personal level. He told her about the events that happened to their team, about the Brotherhood of Evil and the expansion of the Teen Titans. It amazed her how quickly things had evolved, how the underrated team she'd been a part of had grown into a force to be reckoned with in but a years' time. Robin had done an amazing job.

There was no talk about the Prophecy or what happened with Trigon.

Once they finished talking about the battles Robin told her about how the lives of her teammates had progressed. Cyborg and Bumblebee had not been surprising; Starfire and Beast Boy had been though.

She wouldn't admit it to Robin, but there had been times when she'd considered Beast Boy's boyish attitude… endearing. Perhaps at one point in the past she'd had brief moments of something resembling a crush on the shape-shifter, but those feelings had soon faded when Terra had joined the Teen Titans. Raven had hardened herself after that, and had never felt such feelings towards her teammate again.

Eventually their brief midnight conversations moved onto what Robin had done once he'd arrived into this new dimension. She listened intently to his stories about spying in Rhelasia, about his first night in Gotham as Red X, about how he created a civilian identity for himself and about how he'd met the League.

He told her about the Titans, which Robin had admitted that he honestly didn't know them on a personal level, but that he trusted them to watch his back. He told her about those who would eventually become her teammates and was only slightly surprised to find that Robin had decided not be the leader of the newly formed team.

While Raven was still adjusting to her new life, she found that it was doable, that she could handle the sudden changes. The only thing that gave Raven any trouble, was her sleep. She could not remember her dreams, but she always awoke in a panic, panting and sweating, her heart racing dangerously in her chest. She felt as if it was her sixteenth birthday once again and that Slade had come to deliver the message once more.

She could feel it, her connection to Trigon. She had always been able to feel that connection, but Raven, admittedly, had hoped that her death would finally break that link. She could feel that something wrong and terrible was going to happen and she had shared these worries with Robin. He'd told her not to worry and that, whatever this danger was, they would face it together. She'd been grateful for Robin's words, for she knew now that suicide had not been the way out.

Still, deep down, she could not shake the feeling that the worst had yet to come from her Father.

A knock on Raven's door disrupted her from her thoughts and she stood up to answer, taking a moment to let her eyes wander over her new room. It was sparse, but it still had her touch in its design. Dinah had taken her shopping for furniture and while Raven wasn't fond of the activity, she appreciated that Dinah let her make her bedroom truly hers.

The bed was a simple queen size, with dark blue sheets and with a somewhat twisted black iron bedframe. The walls had been painted a darker shade of blue than her blankets and the carpeted floor was a dark grey. There were two, mostly empty, black bookcases set up near a fully stocked dresser and a nightstand with a lamp sat next to her bed. In her hidden closet, several copies of her costume waited to be donned.

Her costume, which was mostly the same as before except for the added gray tights that matched the same ones Black Canary wore. She still wore her red gemmed belt and broach, but she'd replaced her old gloves with a pair that matched Black Canary's in every way except for color, as they were still a deep blue that matched her cape and boots.

"Yes, Dinah?" Raven asked as she slid the door open just enough to make out the other woman's face which looked grim and serious.

"Batman called, Red X is in trouble."

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM CITY: July 20, 20:17 EST**

Red X woke up slowly, his vision fading in and out, his head pounding. '_A mild concussion._' His mind deduced as his vision began to shift again and the muffled sounds of someone talking nearby pierced his foggy head. He felt the wound on the back of his skull and his scalp itched from the dried blood, thankfully though, his mask was still in place.

'_Now, how had this happened?_' Red X silently asked himself as he shifted slightly, finding that he was tied rather tightly to an off-balanced wooden chair. He remembered hearing a woman screaming, he easily knocked out the two men attacking her, and then… something hard hit from behind.

"_Well, well, well_, it looks like our little Xy is _**finally**_ awake." A deep voice said with a mad chuckle underlining his words. Red X stilled at the voice, one that he could instantly recognize even after not hearing it for the last three years. He raised his head up to meet the mans' eyes, narrowing his own as he spotted that too wide smile filled with yellow teeth and the thin lips outlined them in a dark red color that had always disturbingly reminded Red X of blood.

"Joker." He said evenly, getting a rare frown in response. Perhaps the crazy clown had thought Red X would panic, but he'd woken up too many times in this situation to foolishly react in such a way. "_How?_" He asked, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"_Ah_, why, you have my little Harley to thank for that. Really kiddo, you should realize that not everyone on the street who cries out for help is just a sweet and _**innocent**_ person needing to be rescued." The Joker said lightly until his face took a darker tone before continuing. "She did hit you harder than I wanted though, so I had to punish her for being bad, that's why my little minx can't be here now." The Joker explained as he gestured wildly to the empty warehouse room they were in.

"Alright, so I got the when, where and how, but I'm still missing the why." Red X said coolly as he eyes raked over the room, spotting a table covered with different tools ranging from knives to a plunger. He assessed the situation and mentally cursed as he spotted his belt lying on the floor a good twenty feet away from him.

"Why it's your welcoming party of course! Ha-ha!" Red X merely raised an eyebrow in response which made the Joker chuckle harder than before. "You see kiddo; your good old Uncle J noticed that no one threw you a "Welcome to Gotham City" party. So, I decided, why night give you one myself. It's bound to be better than any party Batsy would have thrown anyways. Everyone knows he has no sense of humor." The Joker finsihed bitterly, causing Red X to stiffen slightly.

A pleased Joker was bad, but an angry one was much, much, worse.

"So where are the other party guests?" Red X asked stoically as he studied the mad clown criminal standing not even three feet away from him.

This Joker looked very similar to the one from his dimension. Green hair slicked back, that too wide smile and those red piercing eyes. He wore his signature bright purple suit, a green vest and a dark orange dress shirt underneath. His purple trench coat and matching fedora were tossed over a nearby chair and close to the table. The only difference Red X could see was that this Joker had added a thin silver metal chain to his outfit that swung against his right leg.

"It's the strangest thing, really. I sent out invitations, but no one wrote a response. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have gassed the envelopes after all?" The Joker mused out loud before bursting into a fit of laughter that echoed throughout the room. "Now then, let's get this party started!" The clown said before pulling on a party cracker that shot out a cloud of green gas and purple streamers that covered Red X's mask.

Red X instantly recognized the gas, having experienced Joker's toxin many times in the past and waited for the cloud too dissipate before breathing again. Even though he knew his breathing apparatus would block out the smoke, Red X didn't want to take any chances.

He stared back at the Joker's eager face, taking little pleasure from seeing the clowns' face quickly turn into a scowl after realizing that his Joker Toxin had no effect. The scowl didn't last long before the Joker looked delighted once again, his laughter louder than before.

"_Oooohh Xy_, I knew there was something I liked about you." The creepy clown said happily as he casually walked over to the table Red X had spotted earlier, turning his back towards the young hero.

Red X made his move.

Activating the lasers in the lenses of his mask, Red X cut through the rope tying him to the chair and launched the chair at the crazed clown. Unsurprisingly, the Joker dodged it and threw himself at Red X who'd made an attempt to reach his belt. While the Joker had never looked it, Red X knew for a fact that the man could certainly hold his own in a fight. One didn't become the most dangerous criminal in Gotham without being able to go a few rounds with the Batman.

The Joker let out a sound that was a mix between a growl and a chuckle as Red X delivered a well-aimed punch at the man's jaw. The clown quickly recovered, sending his foot upwards to meet the younger mans' face. Red X ducked quickly and staggered slightly as his vision swam thanks to his concussion.

He felt a slight pinch in his right arm and instinctively struck out with his fist; hitting Joker in the stomach and earning a grunt from the man as he fell to one knee. Red X quickly dove for his belt and turned invisible; dodging the knife the Joker had thrown at him at the last second.

"Hey that's no fair, I call cheats!" The Joker shouted angrily and Red X smirked at the clown criminal. Red X launched a sidekick into the mans' knee, forcing him back onto the ground again. He jumped back to avoid the knife that the Joker swung out with blindly and quickly knocked the blade out of the clowns' hand, the sharp metal clattering and sliding across the warehouse floor.

Just as Red X was closing in to knock the older man out, a sudden snicker broke free from his mouth. The Joker chuckled in response as he shot a kick out to where he heard Red X's chuckle. The hero dodged at the last second, but stumbled onto his knees, clutching his stomach desperately, as another snicker escaped his now grinning mouth. '_When? How did you p-poison me? I never breathed in the t-toxin?_' That was what Red X wanted to ask, but a strained chuckle came out instead.

"Ah, now that's a sound I never grow tired of hearing." The Joker said as he held up an empty syringe for Red X to see. Red X collapsed onto the floor, that terrible smile stretching painfully across his face as the laughter from his mouth grew louder.

'_Damn it, c-can't… s-stop… laughing.'_ Red X thought as Joker tore away his belt, stripping him of his invisibility and dragging him back towards the table, those knives shining brightly in the dim lights. He knew what came next, the madness. Soon his thoughts wouldn't even be coherent enough to plan an escape. '_**Raven…**_'

~Young Justice: Red X~

Whoa, the Joker's got Red X, that's not good. This chapter is just over four thousand and two hundred words long, which he is about the length that I usually post.

Yes, I got the scene were Joker nabs Red X from the Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker movie. And before any of you start bugging, have no fear, that's the only scene I'm taking from the movie.

So when I saw the Joker and the Injustice League, I was really disappointed with him. That's why my Joker is based off of the one from Batman the Animated Series and from the Arkham video games. So, if he seems OOC by being cooler and more awesome than the one from the YJ show, that's because I completely scrapped him. Mark Hamill's Joker is so much better.

I'll be getting back to the show's storyline after this arc, I just really wanted to do this for a while and some of you guys were demanding some Joker action so I decided what the hell.

Leave a bunch of reviews to tell me how I did and about what you speculate the Joker is going to do to Red X.

~Hexalys~


	13. A Welcoming Party Like No Other Part ll

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

Holy hell guys, it's the official one year anniversary for Young Justice: Red X! Fucking rejoice people! I want to thank everyone who's stuck with me since chapter one and say welcome to those of you just joining us now. Since it's the anniversary, I decided to post this chapter way earlier than I'd originally planned, so enjoy and tell me what you think.

To **Guest**, I worked hard on the last chapter and while it wasn't as long as chapters six, eight, or eleven, it was still on par in length with all of my other chapters, so I don't appreciate my writing being labeled as "table scraps". If you wish for my chapters to be longer than just say so in a polite way or at least be respectful enough to PM if you have an issue with my work. I don't post these chapters just so that people can nag me or complain about how I do things.

And now my good mood is officially ruined… so without further delay, here's the exciting conclusion to my mini Arc… _hooray_…

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 13: A Welcoming Party Like No Other Part ll

**GOTHAM CITY: July 20, 21:05 EST**

It was worse than he feared, much worse. Batman had known something had happened to Red X, but he hadn't expected this. He'd interviewed Michael Jacobson last night, as soon as he'd stepped into that interrogation room the boy had told him everything he knew.

He explained how he'd been approached by a woman with a pretty face and blue eyes. How she'd offered him money if he did the measly little job of attacking her, it was staged assault of course. It was supposedly some kinky routine she did with her boyfriend from time to time. She'd be the damsel and her lover would come in and play the hero, saving her from the two brutish thugs.

Michael had said that he took the job, thinking the whole thing was harmless. He'd been planning to use the money to buy a ticket to get out of town and go somewhere that he could make a living for himself. What he hadn't expected was who the lady's boyfriend turned out to be.

The Joker.

Jacobson and O'Malley had met the lady in alleyway, like she'd instructed, and were greeted by the infamous criminal himself, the woman turning out to be Harley Quinn out of disguise. The Joker had come to get his own read on the two of them and Michael had admitted that it was the most terrifying moment of his life. The Joker threatened the two of them, making sure they knew what they were supposed to do.

Attack Harley and anyone who might show up to play the hero.

Michael hadn't expected to see Red X drop down into the alley, knocking O'Malley out with a single punch. He hadn't even had the chance to run or warn the hero before he too found himself collapsing onto the ground due to Red X's knockout gas.

Batman had left the precinct as soon as Michael finished his story, leaving the boy in Gordon's custody. He knew the old Commissioner would do what he could to help the boy, especially since he'd been forced into doing the Joker's dirty work. If there was any justice left in Gotham, Michael would get off scot-free and well on his way towards that college in Star City. In any case, Bruce Wayne would be sure to get Michael Jacobson the best lawyer money could buy.

He and Robin left to search the alleyway Red X had been last seen, finding only a joker playing card with a red x penciled in on the top right corner. The message was clear, Joker had Red X.

"Why would he take Red X though? He's never been interested in anyone besides us." Robin asked as they scoured the alley one last time.

"Because Red X made his first appearance in Gotham, Joker took that as a personal challenge." Batman answered grimly, his eyes focused on the playing card trapped in his tight grip. He didn't tell Robin about how Red X's fighting style was similar to theirs or that the young man greatly reminded the Dark Knight of himself. It also didn't help that Batman had given his Red X his silent support.

Or that the Joker must have noticed these things as well.

It was a well-known fact that he was fiercely territorial went it came to Gotham, stating clearly to the rest of the hero community that they had better stay out of his way. Joker was like him that regard; he didn't appreciate criminals from other cities muscling in on his playground.

By letting Red X continue to fight crime in Gotham, he'd given his silent approval of the young hero, which is something he'd never done before. Not even the original League members were as welcomed in Gotham City as Red X. It was that curious tidbit that must have convinced Joker to make his move towards the young hero.

They'd returned to the Bat Cave, Robin silent and grim as he eyes constantly flickered back to the playing card before turning away. His protégé had tried to suggest for the Titans to be brought in to help, but Batman's hard glare stopped him from finishing his sentence. Robin didn't bring the subject back up again.

It wasn't that Batman didn't think that the Titans were capable; he knew they were and had said as much to the rest of the League when they'd questioned his actions. It was just that the Joker was on a completely different level, one that even he had struggles with most of the time. A third of the Titans were still inexperienced, untrained and all of them, except Robin, were ill-equipped to handle the Joker.

No, he would not leave Red X's safety in their hands.

After running several different scans on the card, Batman got back three results. A fingerprint belonging to Rupert Thorne, the DNA of a North Atlantic Trout, and the residue of a white powder most commonly used as an antiperspirant agent for face makeup.

Clues, the Joker always left him clues.

With every heist the clown criminal committed he always left Batman a hint, a chance to play the mad man's game. Sometimes the clues led him straight to Joker, other times they led him into a trap. Whatever the case, they always brought him closer to figuring out the Joker's schemes, and it was always a test of wits.

Batman analyzed each clue; Rupert Thorne was a longtime business tycoon of his own criminal empire, dealing with the mobsters and every other low ranked criminal throughout the eastern board. The man had his hands in everything and narrowing down what the Joker was alluding to would take days to figure out.

Red X did not have that kind of time.

He and Robin had snuck into Thorne's pent house, finding the man indulging himself with expensive wine, fine literature and Mozart playing lightly in the background. Batman resisted the urge to grimace in disgust. No matter how aristocratic Thorne tried to appear, Batman only ever saw him as the criminal that he was. Interrogating Thorne got him nothing; for once the mobster seemed to be innocent. He left Thorne with a broken nose and the promise of seeing him again in the near future.

With that lead gone, along with most of the night, Batman continued his search for Red X alone as Robin had been sent to bed; Dick Grayson had school in the morning. He moved on to investigate the docks and riverfront, searching through every company and warehouse that sold North Atlantic Trout, coming up with nothing. He did the same again as he narrowed down the places in Gotham that either stored or sold the brand of face paint found on the joker card.

Nothing.

He'd run into dead ends or pathways that required more time to look through, taking up most of the following day and into the early evening. Once he hit the 24 hour mark of Red X being in Joker's grasp, Batman knew his time of doing this on his own had run out. With little choice left, he turned to the one person who truly knew Red X, his old teammate Raven.

He'd called Dinah an hour ago, explaining the situation and asking if Raven could meet with him. Their meeting was at the same warehouse where Red X and the other sidekicks had been put up for auction.

Beside him Robin stood, silent and vigilant, his laid back attitude replaced with something more serious. Batman briefly wondered if his ward had told the other Titans about the situation, but those musings were abruptly cut off as a large black bird made of some sort of energy landed some feet away from them.

The energy bird disappeared to reveal Black Canary and Raven, their dark customs blending perfectly in the surrounding buildings' shadows. He heard Robin whistle lowly, much like he'd done the first time they saw Red X in action, and the Dark Knight wasted no time in approaching Black Canary's student.

"Hey, I'm Robin." His sidekick said as the young boy broke ahead to greet the pale girl.

"I could tell. I'm Raven, Black Canary's… acolyte." The girl said apathetically and Robin grinned in response.

"I know, I hacked Batman's computer and read up on you. When do you think you'll be joining the team?" He asked and Batman cut in sharply, sending a look towards Robin that clearly said "not now".

"When Black Canary says she's ready. Right now though, we need to focus on finding Red X." His hard tone getting a firm nod from Robin who straightened at the silent command to stay focused. He saw Raven shoot an odd look at Robin, but she quickly replaced it with a blank expression before turning towards him.

Batman let his masked eyes roam over the younger hero, taking in the new costume design, noticing that it was still very much the same with little bits of Black Canary's own uniform thrown in. Her dark blue hood casted most of her faces in shadows, her large dark eyes staring back at him in an almost unnerving way.

Batman honestly didn't know what to make of Raven. Red X vouched for her, which was a point for her in his books, but there was still too much mystery when it came to the newest heroine.

And he'd never liked dealing with unknown variables.

"Red X went missing last night at around ten. We know that he was taken by Joker, but not to where and I'd rather night go another night without getting any results. So, can you find him?" He asked and she bowed her head a little, her dark eyes looking downward. Canary subtly placed a hand on the young girls' tense shoulder and Batman narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"

"I got a telepathic message from him about an hour ago… all he said was my name. I've tried to contact him since then, but he's been blocking me out." Raven said as she wrapped one of her arms around the other, silently drawing comfort from the action.

"Does that mean you can't find him?" Robin asked anxiously and Raven shook her head.

"His ability to block me is more about me respecting his privacy, if I really tried, I could force my way into his mind. It's just that… he wouldn't be blocking me unless he had a reason." Raven explained and Batman tensed.

"Can you feel what he does? Is that why he's blocking you, to protect you?" Batman asked and the girl slowly nodded her head in response. "Is there any way you can track him without entering his mind?"

"You misunderstand, we have a connection. It was born through my entering his mind, but it bonded us on a deeper level. While he's blocking me, that connection is cut off. I only need to break into his mind for but a moment in order for the link to be reopened." Raven explained calmly as she looked up at the Dark Knight.

"Then you better get to work." He said simply and she nodded before closing her eyes. She floated in a meditative stance, that dark energy from before swallowing her thin form.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Raven repeated the chant for several minutes, her face and tone never changing. Batman saw that Robin was about to say something when the black energy Raven emitted suddenly lashed out at them. Batman shouted a warning and jumped back to avoid the attack, pulling Robin out of the way, before turning to look back at Raven.

She had collapsed onto the ground, her shoulders shaking and her head hung low, her hands gripping at her shoulders painfully. Laughter suddenly belted from her mouth, sounding tortured and wrong as tears streamed down her smiling gray face.

Batman raced forward, the antidote to Joker's toxin already out and ready to be administered. He stabbed the needle into Raven's shoulder, her body writhing furiously in his grip. Robin and Canary appeared shortly after, grabbing her limbs and keeping her still as best they could.

Her powers shot off at random, cutting across the rooftop and into the other buildings, forcing them to retreat so that they wouldn't get hurt. After several more minutes, the laugher finally died and Raven had come to her senses, pulling the hood back over her face and turning away from the others.

"What was that?" Raven asked, not waiting for the others to explain before she continued, her voice still a little shaky. "I honestly felt… _**insane**_**.**"

"Joker toxin, the effects are uncontrollable laughter, brief moments of insanity and eventually, if left untreated, death." Batman ground out as Canary once again laid a hand on Raven's shoulder, the younger girl leaning into the touch slightly. "Can you find him now?" She nodded her head.

"I know which way we need to go."

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM CITY: July 20, 21:14 EST**

He laughed, he'd been laughing for so long and he couldn't stop, but why would he want to? What was wrong with laughing?

_**Absolutely nothing!**_

He chuckled again as the man in front of him said something, it was too funny! Where was he again? Why was he laughing? Why didn't it stop?

Oh God, make it stop! He wasn't supposed to do this, he was supposed to be doing something else. He tried to move, but he couldn't and he bit the inside of his cheeck, hard. Something swelled up in his mouth and he spit it out. It tasted gross, all thick and… and… and… coppery-ish. He laughed and the man hit him again, causing more of that coppery stuff to spill from his mouth.

_**Why?**_

He laughed again, he couldn't stop. The funny man said something and he hollered in response. He hated this man so much. He was going tear this man's throat out. He'd take that thing, the thing that kept hurting him, and hurt the bad funny man with it.

_**Right? **_

Where was he again? Oh yes, he was so very sad, but then why was he laughing? Maybe he was so sad that he couldn't even feel it anymore? That sounded sad, good thing the funny man was there to make him laugh though. Laughing was always better than crying.

_**Not like this!**_

Where was he again? Laughing, why couldn't he stop laughing? Maybe he wasn't supposed to. Maybe he'd always been laughing, but hadn't realized it until now. Maybe–

'_**Robin, are you there? What's**__-_' A voice in his head said. It was a nice voice and he really liked it. Then it, she, the voice, was laughing in his head too. He laughed in response. The funny man hurt him again, making him grunt for a second, but the laughter came back.

It always did.

But then something happened, the laughter started to slow and turned into quiet chuckles. The man said something and he laughed a little again. Then the pain hit, electricity raced through him and it pulled him out of the fog of insanity that had plagued.

Red X grunted as he spit out a mouthful of blood and glared up at the Joker, his mouth still twisted in a smile, one that the Joker could see. '_When did he take my mask off?_' Red X thought, though he quickly noticed that the domino mask he'd worn as Robin was still in place, the Joker would only want to see his smile.

He remembered now, he'd been poisoned for at least an hour or two by now. The Joker had tied him down to a wooden chair and had reintroduced him to shock therapy, not that the clown knew that his other self in Red X's world had done the same thing at one point.

"Okay, how come you aren't laughing anymore?" The Joker said sounding more annoyed and confused than angry. Red X spit out some more blood, but this time it landed on the Joker's left pant leg. The clown chuckled in response and Red X had to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from doing the same.

Raven breaking into his mind must have rebooted his subconscious slightly, driving the madness that came from Joker's toxin back into the corner of his mind. The chemicals were still running though his systems however, meaning he couldn't stop smiling and the urge to laugh was still there, just barely being suppressed.

"One too many shocks to the head, maybe?" Red X offered as he shrugged his shoulders as best he could from the crude electric chair the Joker had strapped him into. The clown tapped his chin thoughtfully for a few seconds before shrugging and moving away from the controller to the chair.

"Eh, watching you twitch like a Mexican jumping bean was getting boring anyways." The Joker said as he turned back to the table full of weapons. He brought up a rusty looking crowbar, weighing it in his hands for a moment before tossing it over his shoulder. "That's much too intimate for us kiddo, this is only our first date after all." The Joker explained to Red X who'd made no response at all at seeing the crowbar.

"First date, huh? Don't let Harley hear you say that. Although I have to say this is one date I'll likely never forget." Red X replied in an even tone. He'd learned a long time ago that it was better to play along with whatever the Joker said. As Red X predicted, the clown burst into a fit of laughter, dropping the gun in his hands before gripping his stomach overdramatically.

"Oh-ho, good one kiddo! You have a sense of humor, I appreciate that. I really do. For some reason, no one jokes when their around me. Well, no expect for Bird Boy that is, but his jokes usually end with a _punch line_." The Joker said before laughing at his corny pun. Red X gritted his teeth hard, but a dry chuckle still managed to break through and somehow that impossibly large smile on the Joker's face grew even bigger.

"Okay, I got one for you." Red X said as another chuckle broke through. He saw the Joker raise an eyebrow in response as he slowly lowered the barbed wire he'd picked up back onto the table. "_**Remember Robin, if you ever get caught by the Joker try to keep him** **distracted.**_" Red X shook his head slowly, dislodging the memory and advice that his mentor had given him years ago.

"Batman and Robin are camping in the desert; they set up their tent and soon fall asleep. Some hours later, Batman wakes his faithful friend and sidekick. "Robin, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." He said and Robin replied, "I see millions of stars."

"What does that tell you?" Batman asked and Robin ponders for a minute before answering.

"Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Chronologically, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it's evident the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you, Batman?" Batman is silent for a long moment and then says:

"Robin, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent." Red X says, his chuckles finally breaking free again once the joke is finished.

The Joker stared at him for a few seconds before he too started laughing, it's loud and boisterous and very, very dark. He subtly grabs a knife from the table before slowly walking up to Red X, his red eyes gleaming brightly in the dull florescent lights.

"Alright, alright, here's one." The Joker said as his arm suddenly swung out in front of him, the knife cutting across Red X's chest. The blade tore through the Kevlar in a jagged manner, but Red X could still feel that the metal had successfully pierced his skin a little. The cut wasn't deep, but Red X suspected that was mainly because the Joker hadn't anticipated for his suit to be so tough.

"Okay, so this guy goes into the hospital, his wife has just had a baby and he can't wait to see them both. So he grabs the doctor and he says, "Oh doc, I've been so worried. How are they?" And the doctor smiles and says "They're fine, just fine. Your wife's delivered a healthy baby boy and they're both in tip top form. You're one lucky guy!"

"So the guy rushes into the maternity ward with his flowers, but it's empty. His wife's bed is empty. "Doc?" He says and turns around. The doctor and all the nurses wave their arms and scream in his face. "April Fools! You're wife's dead and the baby's a spastic!"

Even as the Joker's knife suddenly plunged into Red X's right shoulder the young hero still laughed loudly along with his torturer. The two males were reduced to a teetering mental state of pain and humor, craziness and sanity. One man broken and twisted, the other injured but resilient.

"Hey kiddo," The Joker said as the laugher faded slightly. Red X raised his head to look at the Clown Prince of Crime, readying himself for another attack. "you ever had a _**bad day?**_"

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM CITY: July 20, 21:56 EST**

**Rupert Mime's Aquariums**

Robin could almost hear Batman's teeth grit in frustration. The clues had been all there, but they'd been looking too deeply to see the broader message. Rupert as a reference from Rupert Throne, the only thing Joker's clue had in common with the criminal kingpin was his first name. Mimes used white face paint, the same kind that had been found on the playing card and the aquarium part was obviously referring to the fish clue.

They should have figured this out sooner.

Robin dropped down onto the warehouse rooftop, staying a few steps behind his mentor and closer to Raven. Robin shot a look at the girl and was only mildly surprised at seeing her so calm, if a little tense. He had to remind himself that she was not a rookie like Miss Martian. He'd read the file Batman had compiled on the strange girl, her real file anyways. He wasn't sure what fake history on Raven that he'd given to the League and he honestly didn't care.

He knew she'd been on a team with Red X before, but there was an incident involving a Black Hole and Raven had apparently given her life up to stop it. Robin looked at the girl again and found her looking back, he smirked and she gave a slow nod in response. Hmm, well she definitely wasn't as cheerful as Megan, but anyone willing to give up their life to save the Earth was okay in his opinion.

Batman held up his hand in, ordering them to stop and the Boy Wonder slowly edged forward to look down through the skylight that his mentor had found. He looked down in seeing that they were above the office section of the warehouse. He spotted the regular Joker goons, Moe, Larry and Curly crowded around a TV with Harley nursing a black eye and sulking in the corner.

"How do you want to do this Batman?" Robin heard Black Canary ask.

"Robin and I will move ahead and try to find Red X; no doubt the Joker will be with him. You and Raven stay here, take out the help and act as backup should we need it. I've already contacted Gordon; he'll be here within twenty minutes." The Dark Knight said as he moved across the rooftop after getting a nod from Black Canary.

"Good luck." Robin said to Raven and she raised an eyebrow in response.

"We're not the ones dealing with the Joker. I mean, Ro-_Red X_ had told me and the others about how dangerous the Joker could be before, but we never really thought of him as a threat. Experiencing the shadow effect of that Joker toxin though, well let's just say that I never want to have to go through that mad man's mind in the future." Raven said as she gave a slight shudder and Robin nodded his head in agreement.

Joker's mind, man that had to be one heck of a scary place. It didn't escape his notice that Raven had almost said a name other than Red X though; perhaps she was going to say his real name? Roger or Robert, maybe? Shaking his head, Robin decided to think about it later and focus on the rescue mission instead.

As Robin moved to follow Batman he heard Black Canary tell Raven to go after the Three Stooges while she took down Harley. Robin smirked as he imagined the shocked looks on the faces of those three bozos. He spotted Batman's dark form huddled over a different skylight and he sped up to see Red X's condition.

Robin was no idiot nor was he naïve; he knew it would be bad. He'd been on the experiencing end of Joker's schemes before. Nothing too awful, he'd been poisoned most of the time, but there'd been the occasional broken bones and shallow knife wounds from time to time. Batman had made sure that he'd never had to face the Joker alone.

What Robin hadn't expected to see was a mostly unmasked Red X, laughing and bleeding as the Joker was busy carving something into the back of his left hand. He swallowed thickly; he was used to the horrors Gotham had, but it still upset him, seeing his teammate and friend being tortured.

Robin didn't really understand what everyone's deal was with Red X, he really liked the guy and so did Batman, even if his mentor had never said so out loud.

Red X had helped him and Batman beat the Mad Hatter all those months ago. He'd saved Wally and Kaldur, even though the League had been shunning him up to that point. Then he'd come after them when they'd gone into Cadmus, brought up the idea of forming a team and had even given them their name. So what if Red X was distant most of the time and a little spooky, Batman was the same way.

Robin just couldn't get why nobody trusted the tattered caped teen.

"Robin, we'll launch a couple of smoke pellets into the room before going in. You're first priority is to get Red X out, make sure he gets an antidote and that his wounds are taken care of. I'll handle Joker." Batman growled and Robin knew better than to argue.

As he and Batman dropped into the warehouse, smoke covering their entrance, Robin headed straight for Red X. As the older teen's laughter increased so did the Joker's, the two sounds mixing and falling into step with each other. The Joker's laugh was pitchy, switching from low to high with every new giggle. Red X's laugh was steady and deep, but it matched the Joker's rhythm perfectly.

It was the most disturbing thing Robin had ever heard.

"Hang on X, I got you." Robin muttered to his friend as he used a Birdarang to cut through the metal cuffs holding the teen in place. He pulled Red X up, almost stumbling under the other boy's weight, and used his grappling gun to pull them out of the smoke and back onto the rooftop.

Robin quickly administered the antidote before moving to tend to Red X's injuries. There were a couple cuts covering his chest and they were mostly shallow so Robin wasn't too concerned about them. It was the stab wounds on Red X's arms that worried Robin the most. There were five of them in all, two on his right arm and the three on his left. They were deep and in random spots, bleeding heavily and staining the yellow of his cape a dark brown.

Alfred was going to be mad.

As Robin's eyes roamed over his friend, he saw what the Joker carved into the other boy's hand. It was a crude smiley face, the smile itself jagged and deep. It's eyes though, that was where Robin could see the Joker's twisted humor come into play.

They were two large X's, a mocking tribute to the hero's name.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM CITY: July 20, 22:38 EST**

Batman laid Red X on the spare cot that they kept down in the Bat Cave, minding the young man's injuries as Robin ran up to get Alfred. He'd left Joker to Gordon, tied up and waiting to get his own treatment at Arkham Asylum. He'd left the clown bruised, bleeding, and with a few broken ribs.

Raven had healed what she could of Red X's injuries, the shallow cuts on his chest and whatever minimal bruising the Joker had given him. The stab wounds in his arms had been healed a little bit, looking like they'd been made a week or two ago instead of an hour. The concussion would heal on its own.

Batman however, could not tear his eyes away from the scar now etched permanently onto the back of Red X's hand. The ugly smiley face was raised and raw, shining brightly against the pale skin.

He should have gotten there sooner. He should have stopped this before it happened.

The smile on Red X's face, that mimic of Joker's horrible grin, was slowly fading away, the muscles finally relaxing. Red X had apparently passed out after Robin had given him the antidote, most likely due to blood loss. Batman had seen no harm in bringing the injured boy back to the Cave, just to make sure that he would be okay.

Batman turned his attention to look at the young man's face and was suddenly struck by an odd feeling of familiarity. He narrowed his eyes and was about to look closer when the sound of footsteps approaching from nearby stopped him.

"Ah, so this is the young lad that's had the League in such a tizzy." Alfred said from behind him, before moving to inspect the teen's wounds. "He doesn't seem too bad Master Bruce; it seems Ms. Raven did a fine job in patching him up." Batman simply nodded his head, still studying Red X closely.

"Will you be spending the night down here, sir?" Alfred asked and Batman nodded again before moving away and towards the computer. "Very good sir should you or the young Master need anything, simply call. I'll make sure to come down as Agent A."

Batman barely acknowledged Alfred as the old butler left, but instead focused on the strand of hair in his hand. He stood still for a moment, his mind shifting through a variety of choices before finally putting the hair in a beaker, drawing a simple x on the label and placing it back into storage.

He would let Red X keep his secrets, for now at least.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Uh-oh, Batman now has Red X's DNA! Will he look at it and discover who Red X truly is in the near future? Not likely. Don't worry people, I have big plans for when Batman finally does analyze that piece of hair and trust me, shit will get real.

Well, there's chapter 13 and I was actually really happy with how the Joker scene with Red X turned out. I've been really struggling with how to write it for the last few days and it's kind of short, but I wouldn't change a single thing about it.

Finally I got to do a chapter with Robin's POV in it, which is cool because he obviously reacts and thinks differently from Red X even though they're the same freakin' person.

Yay, Alfred made an appearance! I love Alfred, he's so cool!

As for the next chapter, we'll jump straight into the next epsiode, but there will be flashback concerning Red X and the aftermath of this event throughout the next chapter. I might throw in some scenes where the Joker is torturing Red X a little more, but it'll mostly be about Red X and Batman talking about what happened and some other emotional shit.

~Hexalys~


	14. Drop-Zone

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review! Holy shit, we're in the seven hundreds now! That freaking awesome! You people rock!

Hey, sorry this chapter didn't come out until today. It would have been up several of days ago, but I left my laptop up a grandparent's place for the last week so, I didn't get it back until a few days ago. Then I had to finish this chapter off and check it for errors. Don't worry though; this chapter doesn't count for this month so expect another one soon.

Also, there's a little bit of Spanish in here, since it was in the episodes, but since I don't know any Spanish, I had to use an online translator. If any of this is wrong, don't blame me, blame the internet.

Note: A big thanks to **I AM LAH **and **Wing the Swordsman **for correcting my Spanish. Also, many thanks to **LordGodsServant **and **suikofan **for correcting my other grammatical errors, God knows there are a lot of them!

Anyways, start reading bitches!

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 14: Drop-Zone 

**CARRIBEAN SEA: July 22, 20:08 ECT**

"We're approaching Santa Prisca." Miss Martian announced to the rest of the team. Robin narrowed his eyes slightly and remembered what Batman had said when assigning them their first mission.

"_De Isle Santa Prisca, this island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neo-steroid, a strength enhancing drug, sold under the street name "Venom". Infrared heat signatures indicate they're still operating a full capacity, but all shipments of Venom have been inexplicably cut off. That's where this team comes in; this is a covert recon mission only. Observe and report, if the Justice League needs to intervene, it will. The plan requires two drop-zones." Batman said as he brought up a holographic map of Santa Prisca. _

"_So who's in charge?" Robin asked, causing Batman and Red Tornado to stare at each other. Robin saw Batman shoot a glance towards Red X and the Boy Wonder frowned a little at that._ _He too looked at Red X, who hadn't even bothered to show up in his civilian clothes. From the way that the older caped teen was standing, one would never guess that he'd been captured and tortured by the Joker only two days ago. Robin bit his lower lip, a nervous habit he'd never been able to fully get rid of, and caught Red X's eye._

_The older teen looked over at him from where he stood a few feet behind Aqualad, his fully masked face giving Robin no clues on what he must be thinking. Red X gave him a nod and Robin quickly shot his eyes back towards Batman._

_The others had no idea about what happened to Red X; Robin wasn't even entirely sure what condition the other teen was in. Robin knew Raven had done her best to heal Red X's wounds, and they had looked much better after the dark haired girl had treated them, but Robin still worried about the older boy. He also wondered if they should inform the team that Red X had been injured. What if something happened while on the mission and one of Red X's wounds acted up?_

"_Work that out amongst yourselves." Batman said, bringing Robin out of his musings. He smiled slightly to himself, knowing that it would only make sense for him to take the lead. He had the most experience out of everyone there, plus he knew the full extent behind Red X's injuries. _

"Drop-zone A in thirty." Miss Martian said suddenly, interrupting Robin's thoughts. He turned to look over at Aqualad and saw the Atlantian activate the stealth mode Batman had installed into his suit.

"Ready." Aqualad announced as his seat melted into the floor. Robin's gaze transferred onto the teen who sat next to Aqualad, and he saw Red X give a nod.

"Putting Bio-ship in camouflage mode." Miss Marian said in response and the ship flew closer to the water before letting Aqualad out. As the leader, Robin almost felt like he should say something encouraging, but there really wasn't any point. Everyone knew their jobs; they all understood the plan Batman had setup for them. A good leader trusted his teammates to know what they were doing.

"_Heat and motion sensors are now patched, data's now on a continuous loop. Move in._" Aqualad's said over the comlink after a few minutes and Miss Martian flew the ship towards the next designated drop-off zone.

"Drop-zone B." Miss Martian stated as the others stood up, chairs melting into the floors as cable lines descended from the ceiling. Robin clipped the line onto his belt, seeing Red X and Kid Flash do the same thing.

"How cool is this?" Kid Flash said as he activated the camouflage mode of his and looked over at Miss Martian, trying to impress her.

"Very impressive." The Martian intoned as her powers activated, a dark full-body suit replacing her usual costume, making Kid Mouths' jaw go slack. Robin could have sworn he heard Red X scoff and he sent a smirk towards the tattered caped teen.

"Uh, that works too. Hey Supey, not too late to put on the new stealth tech." Kid said to Superboy, making the clone cross his arms over his broad chest.

"No capes, no tights, no offense." Superboy replied, almost making Robin snicker. While he'd once worn tights when he'd been in the circus, he certainly didn't wear them now. How could tights protect him against knives and bullets? His suit, every stich and fiber of it, was made out of a rare Kevlar-elastic armor created by the Wayne Tech.

Kid Flash, on the other hand, wore some sort of friction resistant spandex. Wally was definitely closer to the tights category than him. Robin looked over at Red X and briefly wondered what the older teen's suit was made out of. Now that he really looked at it, Robin thought that the material matched his own suit. But how did Red X get his hands on a synthetic armor that wasn't even out on the market yet?

"It totally works for you." Miss Martian said before realizing how she sounded. "In that you can totally do good work in those clothes." The only female said as she gave the clone a thumbs up. Robin could barely hold back his sniggers as Miss Martian turned herself invisible from embarrassment, after Superboy looked away.

"Superboy, attach a line to your belt." Red X said from his spot in the center of the cockpit. Robin saw the clone frown for a second and he wondered if the older teen was going to tell Red X off for giving him orders.

"I don't need it; I won't get hurt when we land." The clone grunted back as he made no move the grab the cable line the Bio-ship had just created.

"True, but you can't control your decent without the ability of flight. Creating a small seismic event doesn't exactly fit under the category covert." Red X argued firmly without turning to look towards the clone. Superboy glared at Red X for a second before attaching the line to his belt as well.

They dropped onto the ground below, Miss Martian reappearing as they landed. "Aqualad, drop B is go." She said over the communicator as the others detached themselves from the Bio-ship.

"_Head for the factory, I'll track your GPS and rendezvous a.s.a.p._" Aqualad said as Robin brought up a holo-map of the island, marking out the factory and the best possible trail to take for the others to see.

"Roger that." He replied getting a nod from Red X and starting off through the tropical environment, making sure that he took the lead. The mission went uninterrupted for the next twenty minutes as he and the others headed towards the factory.

"Did you hear that?" Superboy asked suddenly, making the others pause. Robin narrowed his eyes and activated the Infrared lenses of his mask before jumping up into the trees, moving ahead to search for what Superboy might have heard.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Red X sighed as he saw Robin jump up into the trees; he almost called the younger boy back, but stopped when he remembered whom he was dealing with. The younger boy was him and he knew Robin wasn't dumb enough to charge into battle without them. He was most likely scouting out the area. Still, it would have been wise of Robin to alert his teammates of what he'd planned to do.

"Uh, no. Wait; is this a super hearing thing?" Kid Flash questioned, brining Red X's attention back to his other teammates.

"You do have great ears." Miss Martian complimented as she looked dreamily over at Superboy.

"Okay Rob, now what?" Kid Flash asked as he turned towards the youngest member of their team, only to finally notice that the Boy Wonder had already left. "Man, I hate it when he does that."

"_Red X, Superboy, Kid, switch to infrared, see if you're being tracked._" Aqualad ordered, though Red X had already adjusted the lenses in his mask once Robin had disappeared. He jumped up into a nearby tree, climbing the branches to get a higher vantage point, spotting the men that made the noise that Superboy must have heard earlier.

"I've got two different armed patrol units heading towards each other." Red X reported as Kid Flash put on his thermal goggles, while Superboy used his super vision. "Huh, now that's odd."

"What is?" Miss Martian asked as she was the only one who couldn't see the troops.

"Usually there's no reason for two separate units to be this close, I'd assumed that the one group was coming to relive the other, but the numbers are inconsistent." Red X explained. "This is just a guess, but I don't think that they're allied with each other." Suddenly gunfire could be heard in the area up ahead, confirming Red X's suspicion.

"Don't need super hearing to hear that." Kid Flash remarked as he moved ahead of the group and Red X jumped down from a low tree branch to stand by Superboy.

"_Swing wide, steer clear._" Aqualad ordered over the comlink.

"Yeah, yeah, just as soon as I find Rob." Kid said as he dashed off before Red X could say or do otherwise. He sighed to himself, annoyed that in no matter what dimension, Kid Flash would always run head first into danger.

"Miss Martian become invisible and do not reveal yourself unless you need to. Attack from a distance, but make sure no one notices your presence. Superboy, let's go save Kid." Red X said to the others, getting a nod from both.

"But what about Robin?" Miss Martian asked as she pulled her hood up and disappeared from Red X's sight.

"I'm sure he'll join in when he sees us fighting." Superboy offered and Red X nodded in agreement before running off towards the gunfire. As they approached the two groups, who had been firing at each other before but were now firing at Kid Flash, Red X spotted one muscular man wearing a black and white mask that he was intimately familiar with.

'_Bane._' His mind whispered as his eyes widened in surprise. Of course he knew Santa Prisca was Bane's birthplace, that more often than not, this was where the man was when not in Gotham. This was where Venom was made, but he hadn't expected for them to run into the dangerous man while on their recon mission. '_This operation just got a lot more dangerous._'

Superboy threw himself at the masked man, able to overtake him in power due to the fact that Bane had yet to use his Venom serum. That in itself was a blessing; he didn't know if the team could handle an empowered Bane. As Red X launched himself at the opposing group that had been attacking Bane and his men, he suddenly recognized the scarlet uniforms for what they were. They were Kobra's men.

"What is wrong with you guys? Remember covert, why didn't you follow my lead, vanish into the jungle?" Robin said angrily while dropping down from the trees and attacking two of Bane's thugs, knocking them unconscious with precise blows to their necks.

"That's what you were doing? Oh, way to fill us in! We're not mind readers you know." Kid Flash argued back before a still invisible Miss Martian telepathically flew two of Kobra's men into a tree, knocking them out cold. "Well, most of us aren't."

As Red X turned his attention to the last Kobra grunt and saw Aqualad jump out of the foliage, using his electric abilities to knock the man unconscious. They rounded the cataleptic men up, tying them to the large trees in separated groups.

"I recognize those uniforms; they belong to the Cult of the Kobra." Robin informed the others as Red X stood vigilant in front of Bane, making sure that the familiar villain didn't try anything. Red X could still remember that horrible incident when the Spanish criminal had broken Batman's back.

"I'm certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation." Aqualad pointed out to Robin, making Red X nod his head in agreement, though the others couldn't see it, as he and Bane glared at each other.

"Agreed and since there's clearly no love between the cultists and those goons, I'm betting Kobra came in and tossed them out. That's why normal supply lines have been cut off." Robin deduced loudly enough for Bane to hear, making the man growl in anger.

"We get it, Kobra wanted super cultists, mystery solved, radio Bats and we'll be home in time for–" Kid Flash started to say before Robin cut him off angrily.

"These cultists aren't on Venom, Kobra is hoarding this stuff. We don't leave, not until I know why."

"Until _**you**_ know why?" Kid Flash asked disbelievingly.

"This team needs a leader." Robin stated evenly as he unconsciously straightened his posture, trying to seem taller. Red X recognized the small action for what it was, a desire to prove himself towards others. He'd always reacted that way when his abilities were called into question.

"And it's you?" Kid Flash said in a patronizing tone as he pointed at the younger boy who looked surprised that Kid didn't agree. "Dude, you're a thirteen year old kid, who ducked out on us without a word."

"Ha-ha and you're a mature fifteen?" Robin countered back, laughing without any humor as he glared up at the older boy. "You blew our cover the first chance you got!" Red X mentally blocked them out once their argument dissolved into petty bickering and focused on more important things. Like Bane, who was now smirking slightly.

"Don't you want to lead?" Miss Martian asked Superboy, who shot a look over at Red X before closing his eyes and shaking his head no. That question caught Red X's attention, and although he didn't have super hearing, he could still make out their curious conversation.

"Don't you?" He asked in return and Miss Martian waved her hand dismissively.

"After the Mister Twister fiasco…" She reminded the clone, getting a rare smirk in response.

"You did alright." The clone stated truthfully, and Red X saw a glowing blush spread across Miss Martian's face. He thought for sure she would turn invisible again.

"Míralos, liberate y atácalos mientras están distraídos." One of the men tied next to Bane said, regaining Red X's attention. Obviously, the men thought that none of them understood Spanish, a foolish mistake. Red X knew nine different languages and he was certain that Robin at least knew five, he didn't doubt that Cadmus taught Superboy different dialects either.

"Tranquilo, por ahora les seguiré el juego. Ellos me darán lo que necesito." Bane replied before turning back to glare at Red X. The tattered caped hero merely crossed his arms, waiting to see what Bane had in store and for his team to pull themselves together.

"You don't even have powers!" Kid Flash shouted suddenly as he and Robin walked on the other side of the tree that Bane was tied to. Red X shifted his glare from Bane and redirected it towards Kid Flash, seeing as it was an unintentional insult directed towards him too.

"Red X doesn't have powers and neither does Batman!" Robin pointed out indignantly.

"Duh, you're not Batman." Kid Flash said in a tone that sent Red X's teeth on edge. The words hadn't been directed towards him, but they did bring back unpleasant memories. Insults where criminals had always dismissed him, where civilians were disappointed to see that their protector was an eleven year old boy, everyone believing he wasn't good enough simply because he wasn't Batman.

"Tch, I'm the closest thing we got." Robin claimed as he proudly stuck out his chest. That statement finally got a reaction out of Bane, the man chuckled slightly, his eyes firmly staying on Red X the entire time.

"Such clever niños, but you only know half the story." The Spaniard said and the team gathered to stand behind Red X, who remained a few feet in front of the villain. "Let me show you the rest, get you into the factory, reveal my secret entrance." An obvious deal and an obvious trap, Bane wasn't being very subtle from what Red X could see. That was most likely because he was underestimating them. To Bane's eyes, they were just children, hardly a threat.

"There is a secret entrance, but he's also hiding something." Miss Martian said as she crouched down in front of Bane, eyes glowing white.

"Ah-ah-ah chica, Bane is not that easy." The smirking criminal said and Miss Martian sighed in frustration.

"He's mentally reviewing football scores, in español, this could take a while." She said tiredly towards the others.

"It's not that complicated, the enemy of my enemy is my friend." The man explained with a grin.

"Red X, what do you think?" Aqualad asked after a moment, causing the masked teen to turn back and look at the Atlantian in surprise. Why was Aqualad already looking towards him for guidance? From what Red X had observed so far, Kaldur seemed best suited to lead the team. Brushing those thoughts aside, he turned back towards Bane with an X-shuriken in his hand. He crouched down; using the red metal to swiftly cut through the ropes, and gave the man another glare.

"We work together, for now."

~Young Justice: Red X~

They followed after Bane, with Red X staying close to the man to make sure he didn't try any double-crossing. The Titans were brought towards the edge of a cliff and Red X used his lenses to magnify his vision, spotting several shipments of Venom being carried by the cultists.

"Look at all that product, a buy is going down, but if Kobra isn't selling to the usual suspects then…" Robin started to say and Aqualad finished his sentence.

"We need to identify that buyer." Red X saw Bane pull away from the others and he followed the man, seeing as the group was too preoccupied with starting another argument than to keep track of Bane.

"You don't trust me, do you Niño Calavera?" Bane asked with a crooked smirk. "At least one of you niños isn't completely hopeless. Do you not wish to be leader also?"

"I'd rather make sure we live through this mission then argue about something that will resolve itself with time. Leadership only works when one is chosen by others. To force my ideals on my teammates and demand that they follow me is nothing more than an act of dictatorship that's destined to fail." Red X answered evenly as the others finally joined him as Bane tossed aside the boulder that had been blocking the secret entrance.

"So, now El Luchador is our leader." Kid Flash stated sarcastically as Red X silently followed the drug dealer into the long tunnel. As they continued down the passageway, Red X absent-mindedly rubbed a hand on his aching arms. The stinging sensation reminding him that he wasn't at a hundred percent yet.

_Red X grunted as he slowly opened his eyes, the familiar sight of a dark cavernous ceiling greeting his tired eyes. He sighed a little and shifted his body slightly to get an idea of what his injuries were. Pain radiated from both of his arms in several different places and a dull ache came from his chest and left hand. He sat up, biting back a groan as his body protested at the sharp movement._

"_You shouldn't be moving yet, even with Raven's healing abilities, your injuries are still rather serious and will give you trouble for the next few days." Batman said, causing Red X to jerk his head up in surprise. "You're currently in my lair." Batman explained before Red X had even thought to ask the question. After all, why would he ask that? Red X knew exactly where he was, he was home._

_He quickly checked himself over, realizing that the top part of his costume had been removed in order for his wounds to bandage. His chest had a few fading cuts, most of them scabbed or completely healed over. His arms however, were wrapped with gauze in several different spots and he could tell from the pain that these were his more serious injuries. It was his left hand that caught his interest though._

_A crude smiley face was carved into his flesh, the scars raised slightly against the skin. In an almost hypnotic-like trance, Red X gently brushed over the newly acquired scar, easily recalling the feel of cold metal piercing his skin in a jagged manner. The Joker never did anything neatly. _

"_Xenothium is a very dangerous compound to use as a power source." Batman said after a moment, startling Red X slightly._

"_I've got it under control." He replied evenly, hating how he didn't have his mask to cover his voice and expressions. Panicked, a hand quickly shot up to his face, relived to find that the domino mask was still in place. Red X new Batman had a nasty habit of discovering secret identities. He was honestly surprised his old mentor hadn't removed the mask, but then again, he was beginning to realize that this Batman was different from his. "I've been using it for the past several months and it's given me no trouble."_

"_No, I can tell from the way that you've wired your suit that you've taken every precaution to ensure your safety. Just continue to be careful, if the League found out you were using such a highly unstable energy source–"_

"_They would kick me off the team without a second thought." Red X interrupted plainly, seemingly unaffected by the chance of losing his new team. "I know how to keep things secret." Silence reigned in, leaving both heroes in an awkward air that they could easily ignore. Stone-like features, hardened expressions, strong stances, these characteristics reflected in each other's faces._

_Batman noticed, at that moment, that they were very much alike._

"_The scar on your hand is permanent. You have a total of five deep lacerations on your arms, once healed, they'll be scars too." Batman stated after a minute and Red X shrugged. "I can recommend a discreet doctor, simple skin grafts can get rid of those."_

"_I have plenty of scars; a few more won't make a difference." The young teen said, even as his eyes continued to study the mark the Joker had engraved into his skin. The scar itself wouldn't be that hard to hide, gloves would cover it easily enough and he could use make up when he couldn't wear gloves. No, this new scar wouldn't change anything._

"_I should have gotten there sooner." The words were said so softly, they were almost inaudible. Red X had to look up at Batman to make sure that he didn't imagine them. Had he heard right, was the Dark Knight saying he was the one at fault? These words, coming from the Batman himself, were practically an apology. His Batman would have reprimanded him for being caught in the first place. Why was this Batman so different, why weren't they the same?_

"_I wasn't expecting any help." Red X lied; of course he'd expected Batman to show up. The man always saved the day. "I'd like to say that I had the situation under control, but…" It was quiet again and after a few minutes, Red X slowly donned the rest of his costume, minding his injuries. As he rustled his bandages, ignoring the way his wounds protested, he wondered if Alfred would make an appearance at all. Probably not._

"_I've checked out John Strike's background, the only living relative he has is a grandfather who doesn't exist." Batman said and Red X could hear the unasked question. Do you have any family? The answer jarred him slightly, making Red X aware of the pains that ailed him, both physically and emotionally. _

_No, he didn't have family. _

_He picked up his skull mask, remembering that the Joker had thrown it across the warehouse room, landing behind some wooden crates. Batman must have found it for him; he mentally shook his head at that thought. Robin was more than likely the one who'd recovered it. _

"_I'm on my own." The truth poured out from his mouth before he had a chance to stop it. They were harsh, bitter sounding words, emphasized by the metallic tone his mask caused, and they seemed to echo throughout the Bat Cave. _

"Hey, you okay?" Robin asked from beside him, startling the older teen slightly. Red X shook his head to get rid of the lingering memories and nodded. He saw that Robin still looked worried so he gripped the boy's shoulder firmly, ignoring the twinge of pain that shot down his arm.

"I'm fine Robin." He turned away from the younger teen after getting a smile and saw Bane push a red button on a hidden console, the disguised rock doors opening up into an empty storage room. Robin pushed forward ahead of the group and scouted the next room before telling them that the area was clear.

It wasn't at all surprising to Red X as he watched Robin shoot up onto the giant fermenting tanks that made up the warehouse room they were in. As he watched the boy climb higher, he heard the others' react towards Robin's disappearing act.

"Has that little fool already been caught?" Bane muttered towards them and Aqualad sighed tiredly.

"No, he just does that." He said, sounding only mildly annoyed with their youngest teammate.

"I wouldn't worry; Robin is perhaps the stealthiest person on this team. The cultists won't see him until it's already too late." Red X stated towards the others as he pointed upwards to their lone teammate, getting an understanding nod from Aqualad.

"Stay back, I'll get our Intel before the Boy Wonder." Kid Flash said before speeding off, giving the others no chance to stop him, even as Aqualad ordered for him to wait.

"Kid Flash, on the other hand, doesn't know the meaning of the word subtle and is unable to stay quiet for longer than a few seconds." Red X growled in annoyance after the blur of black and red disappeared from their sights.

"Great chain of command." The villain commented sarcastically and Red X really couldn't argue with him. The Titans clearly needed a leader, which was a position he was reluctant to take. He wasn't supposed to be in this world, that destiny was meant for someone else. Still, until a leader was chosen, the Titans needed some sort of direction.

"C'mon, we'll investigate what Kobra's planning from down here, but remain out of sight." He ordered the team and they nodded. "Can you take us to where you usually store the Venom?" Red X asked and Bane grunted a yes before heading off in that direction, the Titans silently following his lead. They came to the cargo bay in a matter of minutes and hid behind some of the crates, observing the cultists as they transferred the Venom drug outside into the open.

"It's a massive shipment." Aqualad stated, sounding slightly awed by how much Venom Kobra had been able to produce.

"Yeah, but they're only taking new products off the line, they're not touching this Venom." Superboy noted, making Red X frown in thought.

"Maybe… freshness counts?" Miss Martian offered, sounding rather naïve in doing so.

"No, Venom is an artificially created compound, scientifically altered to have an extended resistance to deteriorating. If properly sealed, Venom can last twenty years without losing any potency." Red X corrected automatically, his extensive knowledge on the super steroid never lost even after having no contact with the chemical for the last three years.

The others stared at him in surprise, while Bane glared at him darkly, no doubt displeased with an enemy knowing so much about his product. Superboy's head twitched to the left suddenly, turning back to look outside and informing them that a helicopter was arriving.

"We need to find out what's going on over there." Aqualad said as the helicopter landed. "Miss Martian, turn invisible and see if you can get a closer look. We'll go back into the warehouse and see if we can find out what Kobra has been doing with the Venom."

Splitting up, Red X, Aqualad, Superboy, and Bane worked their way back into the factory. They stuck to the pathways above to avoid detection as the cultists began to move around down below.

"_**Aqualad, Red X, I'm sending you a telepathic image of the buyer now.**_" Miss Martian said after a few minutes and the image of a man with a silver goalie mask and blonde hair appeared inside Red X's mind.

"Sportsmaster, he is the buyer?" Aqualad asked out loud.

"Lately, Sportsmaster has been acting as a gun for hire. He could be representing any number of criminals." Red X informed the others, getting understanding nods from the others. "Robin, Kid we need to–" Red X stopped talking as only static answered him, realizing that someone was jamming the comlinks.

"Ugh, I can't reach Robin or the League." Aqualad as he tried his own comlink. "What do we do now?"

"I know what we do." Bane said as he gripped the railing and Red X realized what the villain had in plan a few seconds too late. Bane launched himself over the railing and onto the warehouse floor, landing on top of a cultist and causing the others to open fire on him.

"What is he doing?" Aqualad shouted and before Red X could answer a giant of a man shot in through the window, forcing them to retreat to the floor near Bane.

"Mammoth?" Red X quietly asked himself as the beast-man roared at them. He didn't have any time to investigate further as Kobra also made an appearance. At the snake-like man's order, Mammoth and several cultists, attacked, forcing the Titans to separate.

Red X attacked the three cultists that charged at him, barely dodging the bullets that came his way. Throwing a few gas pellets, he launched himself into the cloud of smoke and quickly knocked the men out before they could shoot at each other. As Red X looked out over the area, it did not escape his notice that Bane had disappeared from the fight altogether.

A sudden explosion caught his attention and Red X looked up just in time to see Miss Martian crashing into one of fermenting tanks. The familiar sound of something whistling threw the air caught his attention, and Red X instinctively ducked, avoiding the metal baseball bat that had been aimed at his head.

"I hope you're ready for a rematch kid." A voice growled behind Red X and he jumped to the right, performing a roll to avoid the second blow that had been aimed his way. Red X looked up, seeing that his opponent was none other than Sportsmaster. "I owe you for breaking my leg."

"Let's see if you do better in round 2." The masked teen taunted, earning him another growl as he launched several X-shuriken to halt Sportsmaster's advance. The blonde man dove to the side, allowing Red X enough time to pull out his collapsible Bo Staff. Metal clanged against metal at the two weapons connected, leaving the two masked males in a power lock.

"_**Everyone online?**_" Miss Martian asked telepathically, surprising Red X for a second and giving Sportsmaster the chance to push him back. He stumbled slightly before doing a backhand-spring to dodge another strike, gritting his teeth as his arms protested at the strain of his weight. As the others mentally answered, he launched a payload disk at Sportsmaster, encasing the mans' legs in red ice.

"_**Yeah, little busy here.**_" Robin answered a little after the others, making Red X quickly cast an eye over the room, trying to spot the familiar black and yellow cape. Not seeing his younger self, he assumed the boy had already moved ahead. Kobra wasn't in the warehouse room either.

"_**Be careful Robin, Kobra isn't a pushover.**_" Red X said firmly to the other boy, getting laughter in return that seemed to echo though the link. Red X then turned his attention back to Sportsmaster who had freed himself from the ice. The man threw a discus at him, which Red X countered by throwing one of his own disks. Jumping up onto one of the tanks, the two weapons hit, exploding and knocking down those closest to the blast.

"_**We need to retreat.**_" Aqualad ordered and Kid Flashed raced ahead of the others to clear a path. As he saw Robin reenter the warehouse, following the others, he turned back to Sportsmaster who was on a parallel tank.

"Looks like this one's a draw." Red X said before turning invisible and leaving an enraged Sportsmaster behind. Red X entered the secret passageway with the others, trailing behind Robin as Mammoth lunged for them. The large villain looked disturbingly less human that his counterpart and the age was off by a few year, but Red X could still recognize him as one of the original Hive Three.

"Superboy, the support beams!" Aqualad shouted and the clone destroyed the wooden pillars, making the tunnel collapse behind them to stop the cultists from following them. In the dark tunnel, Aqualad pulled out a red glow stick, bathing the Titans in a dark, eerie red light.

"How could my first mission as leader go so wrong?" Robin asked to no one in particular with his back facing the others. Red X stood nearby, leaning against an undestroyed support beam, eyes closed.

"You do have the most experience and perhaps that is exactly what had left you unprepared. Fighting alongside Batman, your roles are defined. You two do not need to talk, but this team is new and the leader must be clear, explicit. He cannot vanish and expect others to play parts in an unknown plan." Aqualad reasoned, getting an approving nod from Red X.

"Oh, so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands." The Boy Wonder scoffed before humming slightly. "Who am I kidding; Kaldur and Red X are the only ones who could lead the Titans." Robin said taking Red X by surprise. His head shot up to see half of the team smiling towards him, obviously agreeing with what Robin had said.

"Please! I could run circles around those–" The speedster started to say before Robin cut him off.

"Wally, c'mon, you know the choice comes down between them."

"Hello Megan, it's so obvious." Miss Martian commented as she hit her forehead lightly.

"Could have told ya." Superboy said evenly as he looked over at Red X.

"Yeah, alright." Kid Flash agreed after a moment. "But who's going to lead? We can't have two leaders."

"Not me." Red X answered and continued once he saw that the others were about to protest. "The League wouldn't stand for it, for one. Besides, I've lead a team before. Kaldur has my vote of confidence; I know he'll do a good job as leader." The others were silent for a minute as Red X shared a glance with Aqualad, getting a wide-eyed stare from the Atlantian.

"Then I accept the burden, until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders." Aqualad said as he laid a hand on Robin's shoulder. "You were born to lead this team, maybe not now, but soon." Robin nodded. "And I hope that I can also look towards you for wisdom in the future." Aqualad said towards Red X, who simply nodded. "Alright, our first priority is stopping that shipment from leaving the island."

"Funny," Robin said as he smirked up at their new leader. "I was thinking the same thing."

~Young Justice: Red X~

"Sportsmaster is the employer slash buyer, but it still doesn't track. He doesn't have the juice to acquire the Blockbuster formula or to get Kobra to do his dirty work." Robin announced to the others.

"And neither of them have the chops to combine Blockbuster with Venom, that took some major nerd-edge." Wally offered.

"I believe the expression is, 'tip of the iceberg'." Aqualad said as Bane suddenly appeared at the entrance. Dropping an empty syringe which had obviously been filled with Venom, seeing as Bane's muscle mass had increased tremendously.

"Halt niños, I'm feeling… explosive." Bane mocked and Red X turned his attention to the several bombs implanted in the tunnels' ceiling.

"You betrayed us, why?" Aqualad asked.

"I want my factory back." Bane answered and Aqualad telepathically contacted Kid Flash. "_**Kid, you're going to need a running start.**_" "So I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies or die trying. If the latter, the Justice League will certainly have come to avenge their sidekicks and when the smoke cleared, Santa Prisca would be mine once more. Blowing the tunnel with you inside should have the same effect." Bane never noticed the black and red blur that zoomed by.

"With what, this trigger thingy?" Kid Flash asked as leaned up against a tree, taunting Bane by twiddling with the trigger in front of the criminal. Bane took a swing at Kid Flash, only to miss as he was levitated several feet off the ground by Miss Martian.

"La próxima vez, trata de no ser tan obvio." Red X said, earning him an angry growl from Bane.

"Finally, drop him." Superboy said to Miss Martian and she smiled as she dropped the Spaniard. Superboy swung at the criminal, knocking him out with one blow. Fortunately, Bane hadn't had access to more Venom otherwise things could have been a lot more difficult.

"Now, we go after Sportsmaster and Kobra." Aqualad said to the team. "Here's what we do."

~Young Justice: Red X~

Red X charged at the cultists, falling into step beside Robin, their mission was to distract Kobra for as long as possible while the others destroyed the Venom/Kobra hybrid. Robin threw a grappling line, tying up Kobra's second in command. They landed a few feet away from the tall pale man, sizing him up. Red X had very few encounters with Kobra back in his world. From what he could remember, the snake-like man had been on par with Batman in terms of fighting skill. He was certainly out of Robin's league.

"I know you don't like to get your hands dirty…" Robin trailed off as he raised his own hands in preparation for an attack.

"True, but sometimes, even a God must stoop to conquer." Kobra said as he removed his cloak. Red X let Robin make the first move. The younger teen dashed forwards launching a combo of high kicks that Kobra was able to block easily. "What's wrong boy, you look disconcerted."

"Let's kick things up a notch then." Red X retorted as he charged forward. He delivered a haymaker towards Kobra's face while at the same time kicking at the inner part of Kobra's foot, making the man stumble slightly. Taking the advantage, Red X slammed his elbow into Kobra's solar plexus, earning him a slight grunt.

Red X avoided a side kick by sliding forward and ducking down. He backed up a few feet and looked towards Kobra, seeing the man giving him an appraising look. On Kobra's other side stood Robin, who looked impressed.

Red X nodded towards Robin and together they attacked the pale man, falling into a synchronized pattern that would take people years to learn. It amazed Robin with how in sync he and Red X were, the way they move and attacked. It was if they'd been working together for years, it actually, it sort of felt like he was fighting with Batman.

Red X aimed a low and Robin took the top. Whenever Kobra would lash out with a kick, Red X blocked it and Robin did the same whenever the villain moved to punch. They held him back, they made him work and Red X could tell it was annoying Kobra to no end.

The sound of a helicopter crashing into the factory, causing it to explode, interrupted their fight.

"I am surrounded by mosquitos!" Kobra shouted as Robin ducked under a knee strike that had been aiming towards his head.

"Hah, you seem to be struggling with these mosquitos, in fact, you seem a little disconcerted." Robin taunted back as he and Red X regrouped with the rest of the Titans. The snake-like man searched over the battlefield, realizing that he's lost this fight.

"Another time then." Kobra said before he vanished into the jungle and Robin tried to pursue. The younger teen huffed as he spotted no trace of the man and turned back to the others, looking over at the burning factory with a slight smile.

"We picked the right guy to lead." Robin said cheerfully as he approached Aqualad. "Automatically making you the right guy to tell Batman about this." The Boy Wonder remarked as he walked ahead of the group. Red X grimaced, knowing how bad Batman could be. He laid a hand on Aqualad's shoulder who a bit pale at the moment.

"A good leader knows when to defend his actions and when to accept that he's made a mistake." Red X offered as the others moved to the Bio-ship that Miss Martian had mentally summoned.

"And … was I wrong, in continuing the mission, I mean?" The Atlantian asked as he stared down at the ground.

"I don't know, I'm not sure how Batman will react to this. The only thing I can tell you is that I wouldn't have done anything different." The masked teen said firmly, getting a small smile from Aqualad.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**MOUNT JUSTICE: July 23, 1:06 EDT**

"A simple recon mission, observe and report. You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes, until then… good job." Batman said, making Red X jerk a little in surprise. He could count how many times Batman had ever said good job to him on one hand. "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success and how you choose who leads, determines character."

After that the team slowly disbanded while Red X stayed behind. He silently watched Batman as the Dark Knight worked on the holo-computer, unable to say anything.

"I thought they might have chosen you as the leader." Batman said after a moment, not bothering to look up from the screen in front of him that displayed the Venom/Blockbuster hybrid.

"I turned them down. You know the League wouldn't have allowed it." Red X answered evenly as he continued to study his mentor. This Batman didn't cease to surprise him. "Aqualad will make a good leader, until Robin is ready." It was silent for a few minutes before Batman spoke again.

"How're your arms?"

"I'm fine."

Silence reigned in again.

"If you ever need help…" Batman started to say, before stopping abruptly.

"I'll call." Red X finished softly as he disappeared down the hallway to the docking bay where his motorcycle was. A smile, one that he refused to acknowledge, made its way onto his face. '_Maybe things will work out better than I originally thought._'

~Young Justice: Red X~

"Míralos, liberate y atácalos mientras están distraídos." Means – Look at them. Free yourself and take them while they're distracted.

"Tranquilo, por ahora les seguiré el juego. Ellos me darán lo que necesito." Means – Quiet. For now I play along. They will give me what I need.

"La próxima vez, trata de no ser tan obvio." Means – Next time, try not to be so obvious.

Niños means children and Nino Calavera means skull child.

Okay, Red X was really hard to write in this chapter. I am happy with that little bit between him and Batman at the end, but hopefully I'll be able to pull away from their relationship for the next few chapters and focus on Red X interacting with the team.

Also, I'd like to state that Xenothium is not a radioactive compound, it's an unstable compound often used as an energy source. Please remember that there was never an incident where Red X had a problem with the suit.

There was a little bit of bonding between Red X and Robin, as well as some with Aqualad. That's mainly because I felt the episode centered on those two. I know that there was a little clip at the end of the episode where Sportsmaster delivers the serum to the Light, but I want to save their debut for a little later in the story.

Next chapter will be following the plotline of Schooled, with a specail bonus appearance thrown in.

~Hexalys~


	15. Schooled

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

Sorry this chapter came out so late… my pet lizard died recently and it's really bummed me out. I've been pretty lethargic for a while now because of it. At least he didn't die before my birthday…

Okay, we have a major issue to address at this point in the story. Young Justice has been canceled. This sucks royally, but don't freak out just yet, I fully intend to keep going with this story, even after I catch up with the storyline. I have no idea what I'll be doing at that point, considering I haven't seen the episodes that far into season two yet, but I will figure something out.

So don't worry people, I will not abandon this story! Anyways, please enjoy the next chapter and leave me a bunch of reviews!

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 15: Schooled

**LITCHFIELD COUNTY: August 3, 07:48 EDT**

Raven stood a ways behind Black Canary, as she had been ordered, her limbs almost shaking from the desire to ignore her mentors' commands and help fight against the Android that had appeared out of nowhere. Green Arrow and Black Canary were giving the battle everything they had, but their opponent was able to block their movies, using Black Canary's sonic abilities and Green Arrow's fighting style to knock them back.

Raven wanted to join the fight, provide some assistance to the woman who had taken her in and treated her so well, but she bitterly knew that her involvement would cause more harm than good. The Android replicated abilities and superpowers, the last thing anyone needed was for her to give it another advantage. Still, it was a hard thing for her to remain standing there, simply watching as the two elder heroes struggled against their enemy.

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as a blur of blue and red shot by the cliff Raven was observing the fight from. The powerful wind threw her hood back and tousled her short hair into her face, obstructing her vision for a moment. She quickly brushed her hair aside to see the Man of Steel deliver a powerful punch that had the Android crashing into the ground, creating a decently sized crater. She hoped that the battle was over; Canary had taken a serious blow earlier.

The Android didn't stay down though. Superman had turned to the others to say something Raven couldn't hear, when the robot suddenly stood up, aiming a powerful gale from its' mouth. Raven shot up a shield around the three, which could only withstand the force of the attack long enough for the others to move back. They retreated to Raven's cliff with Black Canary supporting her injured and bleeding arm.

"Thanks for the save, kid." Green Arrow said and Raven nodded as she lowered her stance, but kept a weathered eye on the Android that was slowly advancing towards them. Superman shot her a curious look, which Raven ignored in favor of helping Black Canary by healing the injury in any way that she could.

"I know you told me to stay back, but I think that the Android can only copy abilities that have been used on it. It shouldn't be able to duplicate a defensive move that it never comes into contact with." Raven said as she explained her reasons for entering the fight when Canary had told her to stand down.

"Whatever the case, I'm glad that you did interfere, Raven. It's a good feeling to know I have someone watching my back." Black Canary said warmly, and Raven tilted her head towards the ground, hiding a small smile. "Raven, I want you act as back up, block any attacks you can and stay out of its' range. If your theory is right, then Superman's last attack just gave the enemy super strength."

"I'm sorry, but who is this?" Superman asked curiously as he studied the young woman. He could see the similar custom style between the girl and Black Canary and she clearly had her own special abilities, if that black shield of energy was anything to go by. '_Where do these kids keep coming from?_'

"My partner and student, Raven." Black Canary said firmly before sighing slightly in relief as some of the pain in her arm went away. "Raven, Superman."

"Hello." The girl said emotionlessly, making Superman slightly uncomfortable. He pushed the feeling aside and gave the girl a warm smile, to which she only stared silently in response. Green Arrow was about to say something, when the android Superman had forgotten about, suddenly landed a few feet away from him, the repercussions shaking the ground a little and reminding him of his earlier incident with Superboy.

"Raven's right, it can't replicate abilities that don't come into direct contact with it. It can't fly like Superman." Black Canary stated as she gave her partner an appraising look. Raven quickly retreated into the air, putting a great distance between herself and the Android.

The battle resumed, Raven sent out shields to protect the others from long distance attacks, making sure the Android never got the chance to interact with her abilities. The Android took no notice of her presence, preferring to deal with those who attacked it directly, which suited Raven just fine. As the battle continued, reinforcements arrived. First there was the Flash, then Captain Atom. An hour later the Martian Manhutner, Red Tornado and Wonder Woman all showed up to lend their assistance.

Three hours later, the eight Justice League members and Raven were no closer to defeating the Android.

"Man, doesn't this guy ever get tired?" The Flash asked as he quickly ate the last of his food reserves. If the fight kept on going he would have to leave and find a place where he could restore his metabolism or else he'd likely pass out in the middle of the fight. "Maybe we should call in for more backup?"

"And give it more abilities to copy? It's best to finish this fight ourselves." Superman argued as he threw a boulder at the Android which it redirected towards Black Canary, only to be telekinetically stopped by Raven. "I'd hate for this thing to replicate Batman's fighting capabilities." The very idea of it made the Flash blanch.

"**Access: Superman.**" The Android said before it launched itself upward, above the seven Leaguers on the ground. Red Tornado, who had been up in the air, realized whom the other android was going to attack a moment too late.

"Raven, look out!" He called, increasing his vocal sound several levels to alert the youngest of their group.

Raven, who'd been protecting Black Canary from the boulder, turned just in time to see the silver android reaching out to grab her. She closed her eyes, expecting to feel a cold, harsh grip and was surprised to feel herself being pushed sharply from her right side. She opened her eyes to find that she was still floating safely in the air.

She turned to see who'd saved her and her lavender eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of a tattered black cape. The Android and her rescuer quickly plummeted to the ground, faster than Raven or any of the others could move to help. A loud crash echoed throughout the cornfields and forests that they were fighting in. A large cloud of debris and dirt covered the area, blocking the two from her sight.

Just as she was about to call out his name, a black nimble figure, shot out from the haze, landing heavily next to Superman. '_Robin…_ _no, not Robin._' Raven had to constantly remind herself that he went by Red X now.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Green Arrow shouted, his tone coming out as mixture of anger and confusion.

"You looked like you were having a little trouble." Red X stated simply as he shrugged slightly, his shoulders stiffening for a second as his left arm came up to brace his ribs. Raven felt the pain radiate from her friend, but kept the information to herself, knowing better than to point it out. "Batman informed me of the situation."

And the argument died there. If Batman had told Red X what was going on, then the Dark Knight wanted the young man there. Knowing that Red X had Batman's seal of approval was enough to keep the others silent, for now at least.

'_**Robin, are you alright?**_' She mentally asked as she hovered over the battlefield, staying closer to it than she had been before. If the Android had targeted her once, it would likely do so again. She'd just become infinitely more involved in the fight.

'_**I'm fine Raven, just some bruises I think.**_' He answered, though she could tell he was lying. She let it be, but moved closer to him, ready to provide any assistance, should he need it.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**MOUNT JUSTICE: August 3, 13:02 EDT**

Red X arrived at the base with Raven, Black Canary and the Martian Manhunter, his arms aching a little, while his wounded ribs throbbed painfully with every step he took. He was almost certain that he'd fractured something and wasn't just bruised like he'd told Raven. The Martian kept sending him subtle glances, letting Red X know that the telepath had seen the extent of his injuries. He mildly wondered if the Martian had mentally told Black Canary of his condition.

From beside him, he could feel Raven's unwavering gaze studying his posture and outward demeanor. He glanced at her and saw her usual apathetic look in place; the only giveaway of anything being amiss was the way that her eyebrows were furrowed slightly. It wouldn't be something that anybody else would take notice of, but Red X could tell that he hadn't fooled her about his injuries.

"Ready for training everyone?" Black Canary called out to the Titans as they entered the main room.

"Red X, Black Canary, Uncle J'onn!" Miss Martian called out before she ran up to hug her uncle.

"M'gann, I was… in the neighborhood, so I thought I might stop by and see how you were adjusting." The Martian said warmly as he placed a hand on his niece's shoulder. Red X stayed beside Raven, who as usual, avoided joining the group of people.

"Just a few bumps, but I'm learning." She replied softly, looking unsure of how her uncle would reply.

"That's all I can ask." He said just as softly, making Miss Martian smile slightly.

"Whoa, who's the babe?" Kid Flash asked before he quickly finished his banana, tossing the remains over his shoulder and onto the floor, making a swish noise as he imitated scoring a basket. "The name's Wally beautiful, what's yours?"

"Rachael Roth, but I prefer to be addressed as Raven." She answered emotionlessly. Kid Flash zoomed over, jabbing himself in-between them; standing so closely to Red X, he could practically smell whatever shampoos the red-haired teen had used that morning.

It annoyed him.

"Hey Rave." Robin called from beside Aqualad, smirking a little as Red X moved to stand by him. Raven nodded, her hood covering most of her face in shadows as she took a subtle step away from Kid Flash.

"Dude, you know her?" Kid Flash asked, not noticing that Raven had retreated back towards Black Canary.

"Yeah, Batman and I met up with her and Black Canary about two weeks ago." Robin explained before shooting a glance over at Red X, who was staring at nothing. Robin got the feeling that the older teen was mentally blocking them out and he wondered if Red X was thinking about what the Joker did to him. "Her powers are awesome, heavy on the awe."

"Raven is my partner and student. When I come here to help you train, she will be accompanying me. Eventually, she too will be a Titan, so get used to her now." Black Canary said as she moved to center floor where the battle simulator was. "Stick around, class is in session." She called towards Superboy, who was about to leave the room.

Red X followed behind the others regrouping with Raven as they stood a little away from the others. He paused to give her an assessing look, trying to see if she'd been hurt at all during their fight against the Android. Her long dark blue cloak hid most of her body, just as her hood hid her face. If she was hurt, it wasn't anything serious.

"I consider it an honor to be your teacher. I'll throw a lot at you, everything I learned from my own mentors– ugh." Black Canary started before she cut herself off as she aggravated her injury. More than sever bruising then, Red X had to wonder if he was the only one hiding a fracture. "And my own bruises."

"What happened?" Miss Martian asked, sounding worried.

"The job." Black Canary said truthfully. "Now, combat is about controlling conflict, putting the battle on your terms, you should always be acting, never reacting. I'll need a sparring partner." Kid Flash's hand shot up.

"Right here, yeah." He walked over to their teacher eagerly, a cocky smile planted on his face. "After this, I'll show you my moves." Red X inwardly groaned and he heard Raven sigh heavily. Black Canary smirked before she aimed a punch at Kid Flash, which he blocked only to be knocked down as Canary swept his legs out from under him. The others, besides Red X, Raven and Superboy, cringed in sympathy for the speedster. "Ooh, uh, hurts so good."

"Good block, but did anyone see what he did wrong?" Canary asked as she helped the teen onto his feet.

"Oh, oh, he hit on teacher and got served?" Robin offered as he smiled at Kid Flash.

"Dude!" Kid Flash half-whispered as he glared at his best friend slightly.

"He allowed me to dictate the terms of–"

"Oh, please." Superboy scoffed, interrupting Black Canary's explanation. "With my powers, the battle is always on my terms. I'm a living weapon and this is a waste of my time."

"Prove it." Canary challenged much to Superboy's surprise. He took in the older woman's smirk and glared as he stomped into the ring. The two stared down at each other for a second before Superboy threw the first punch. Black Canary countered by grabbing him and using his momentum to throw him a few feet away from her.

Robin's resulting laughter seemed to echo throughout the room. Superboy got up with a growl, glaring at Black Canary.

"You're angry, good. But don't react, channel that anger into–" She was cut off again by Superboy as the clone launched himself at the woman again. Red X furrowed his brows at Superboy's behavior. Sure the clone was a hothead, but this reaction seemed a little excessive, even for him. Black Canary dodged by flipping over Superboy, landing behind him and kicking out his feet from under him.

Robin had the good graces to muffle his laughter this time.

"That's it, I'm done." The clone growled as he ignored the hand Black Canary had offered to help him up. Unperturbed, Canary laid a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Training is mandatory." She answered simply, unaffected as Superboy knocked her hand away. A holo-screen suddenly appeared a few feet from them.

"_Batman to the cave. Five hours ago a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary. The attacker was capable of studying then duplicating the powers and abilities of its' opponents. Arrow called in reinforcements which nearly proved disastrous as our foe gained more and more power with each new combatant._"

"Whoa, one guy with the powers of the entire League." Kid Flash said in awe and Red X's ribs gave off another painful throb, reminding him that the battle was not as impressive as Kid Flash believed.

"_In the end, it took eight Leaguers, Raven and Red X four hours to defeat and dismantle the Android._" Batman continued and Red X could almost feel the others shooting him looks.

"An android? Who made it, T.O. Morrow?" Robin asked.

"_Good guess Robin, but Red Tornado doesn't think so._" Batman answered and Red X saw Superboy's face turn to glare at the ground. He shot a look between the clone and Batman, wondering if the Dark Knight had done something that was the cause for Superboy's foul mood.

"The technology bears the signature of Professor Ivo." The Martian informed them, startling the Titans slightly.

"Ivo, but he is dead." Aqualad said as he stared wide eyed towards Batman.

"So we all thought, or hoped." Black Canary commented.

"_To make certain this threat is permanently neutralized we're sending two trucks carrying the Android to two separate Star Lab facilities in Boston and New York for immediate evaluation. Every precaution has been taken. We'll have four additional decoy trucks to create confusion in case Ivo, or anyone, tries to recover the remains. You will split into undercover teams to safeguard the two real trucks._" Batman explained.

"Yes, road trip!" Kid Flash crowed gleefully.

"So now we take out your trash?" Superboy growled.

"_You had something better to do?_" Batman countered, making Superboy look away and Red X raised an eyebrow. If Batman wasn't the cause of Superboy's sudden anger, than he at least knew what was.

"Is Raven coming with us?" Miss Marian asked nervously, avoiding Batman's gaze as she stared down at her hands. A heavy silence descended over the room and Red X looked over at Raven to see her staring ahead, seemingly not paying attention to him or the others. He could tell though, that she was carefully listening for Batman's response.

"_That's up to Black Canary, Batman out._" The others turned to Black Canary, who stared down at Raven without giving them any idea what she was thinking.

"I see no problem with Raven going. It is a simple guarding mission and if something goes wrong it would be helpful for the team to fight with someone who knows how to handle the enemy." Black Canary said after a moment and Red X smiled slightly, though no one could see it.

"Well, since you don't have a motorcycle, you can ride with me." Kid Flash said to Raven with a wide grin on his face.

"It would be better for her to ride with me; my X-cycle is larger." Red X said, making Kid Flash frown.

"That would be best." Aqualad agreed before Kid Flash could start an argument. "Coordinates received, on our way." The Titans moved out, with only Red X, Raven and Superboy trailing behind. Canary grabbed Superboy by the shoulder, getting his attention.

"Whenever you're ready, I'll be here." She offered and Superboy only frowned in response before following the others. "Raven, be careful." Red X saw Raven nod and the two followed Superboy to where the other Titans were.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**LITCHFIELD COUNTY: August 3, 20:08 EDT**

Red X pulled at the collar of the uncomfortable leather jacket he was wearing. Seeing as the mission was covert, they were under the guise of a motorcyclist gang, which meant they had to hide their costumes. Fortunately, they could still wear their suits under the civilian clothes. He was dressed in a mostly black track-like suit, with silver highlights that matched his helmet which had a Red X on the front.

Raven tugged on her own clothes behind him, her costume hidden underneath her own track-like suit. Hers was a dark blue, with purple highlights, a purple and black helmet already in place. They waited with the others for Batman's signal to move.

It was odd to be back in Litchfield so soon, especially since he remembered the battle that took place earlier. While he'd only been there for the last half an hour, it had still been a grueling fight. Green Arrow had constantly gotten in his way, whether to help or interfere he wasn't sure, but Red X was leaning towards the latter.

He couldn't imagine how tired Raven must be, she'd been in the fight since the beginning, constantly using her powers to protect and heal others when they needed it. Seeing Raven keep up with the League members, even saving a few of them, had filled him with pride.

She made the Teen Titans proud.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they pulled out onto the dirt roads that would lead to the highway. Red X and Raven went with Robin and Superboy to New York, while Aqualad, Miss Martian and Kid Flash followed the other convoy to Boston. As they rode, Raven's arms wrapped around his stomach, Red X lost his concentration on the mission and his thoughts drifted.

"If dislike is the opposite of like, is aster the opposite of disaster? See, if nothing's going wrong, they're going right." Superboy didn't respond and Red X knew that Robin had only been addressing the clone in order to find out his problem was. "Uh, clearly you're not feeling the aster, what's wrong?"

"Canary, I mean, what business does she have teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?" Superboy growled and Red X felt Raven tighten her grip, obviously bothered by how Superboy was talking about her mentor.

"Taking down stronger guys is part of the gig; Canary learned that the hard way. Same with Batman, Red X and well… me." Robin responded, though Superboy clearly didn't like the answer because he accelerated his bike to move ahead of them. "Did I say something wrong?" Robin asked the other two, only half-joking.

"No, just something he didn't want to hear." Red X answered and Robin nodded slowly, not understanding what the problem was. So Black Canary kicked his butt, that wasn't any reason for Superboy to criticize the lesson she'd been trying to teach. It's not like they weren't fighting powerful opponents all the time. Superboy couldn't possibly believe that strength was all that mattered, right?

Suddenly a noise caught everyone's attention and Red X spotted a group of flying robotic monkeys coming out of a nearby cornfield and flying towards the truck.

"Raven, go!" He ordered and he felt her grip disappear, the feeling of her warm body drifting away from him. She soared past him from above, black energy gathered into her hands as she shot off a wave of power that threw off several monkeys from trunk and onto the road. Red X made sure to run over a few of them so that they wouldn't get back up.

"_Robin, Superboy, Red X, our truck is under attack._" Aqualad informed them over their comlink.

"Kind of figured." Robin bit out as he watched the robot monkeys in front of him swarm over the armored vehicle.

"I hate monkeys." Superboy growled.

"I'm not too fond of them either." Raven commented as she destroyed a few monkeys by smashing them into each other.

"Robot monkeys, ha-ha, totally Ivo's tweak style." Robin laughed as he touched the R icon on his bike transforming it. The back of the bike disconnected before shifting and levitating into the air, blasters mounted on its sides. "Hey ace, switch your ride to battle mode."

"No point." And that was all the warning Robin and Red X got before Superboy launched himself onto the roof of the armored truck. Red X managed to swerve in time; his large biked reacting faster than Robin's. As Superboy's bike tumbled towards Robin, the Boy Wonder shot a cable line to the truck, saving himself from being taken down by his own teammates' recklessness.

Red X activated the lasers attached to his bike, shooting down the hovering monkeys before they could reach the truck, leaving it up to Robin and Superboy to take care of the ones that had already landed. Red X heard Superboy shout in pain and he saw the clone being brought up into the air by the robots.

"Raven, help Superboy, I've got Robin." He called engaging the auto-drive as he flung himself off of his X-cycle and onto the side of the truck. He didn't need to check to see if Raven followed his orders. He climbed up onto the roof, brought out his Bo Staff and attacked the robot monkeys. It wasn't long before Robin joined him in smashing the metal menaces.

Superboy landed on the truck with a crash and a roar of anger. Red X, who'd been dodging an attack by doing a backhand-spring, was knocked off balance by the reverberations of Superboy's landing. For a heart stopping second, Red X tumbled off of the truck, his body contorted awkwardly in mid twist, unable to reach his utility belt.

"Red X!" He heard Robin shout his name, but the only thing he could see was the pavement rushing up to meet him. Even then, his mind focused on the outcome of what would happen if he tried to teleport to safety. Newton's law of motion came into play here, if he tried to land to close to the ground, he'd end up in a lot of pain. Too high and he might be too disoriented to use the chance to save himself. Luckily, Raven took the choice out of his hands.

He felt himself being cradled by her familiar energy, his aching ribs screaming in protest at the activities he'd just put them through. His attention was reclaimed as the monkeys blew out truck's tires.

"Raven, there are men inside the truck, get them out now!" He shouted and the power that had been levitating him disappeared and he dropped onto his feet. Raven used her powers to tear off the back doors, safely bringing out the three soldiers inside and onto the road next to Red X. He saw Robin get the driver out, but Superboy clung onto the truck as it crashed into the street, flipping over several times before coming to a stop.

And then he saw the horde of robot monkeys fly off with the Android's parts. Superboy saw it too and without a word to the others, launched himself after the enemy and leaving them behind. Red X almost thought of telling Raven to go after him, but realized she'd never be able to keep up.

"_Aqualad to Red X, we lost our cargo. Did you–_"

"It's gone, and so is Superboy." Red X answered tiredly as checked over the soldiers who were, thankfully, uninjured.

"_Aqualad to Superboy, radio in your position we'll help you._"

"I don't need help, don't want any!" Superboy shouted back as he threw away his comlink. If he couldn't get Superman's attention by asking for it, then he would prove what he was capable of, then beating an android that had taken eight Leaguers to defeat sounded like a good place to start.

"_Superboy…_" Aqualad asked only to be met with silence.

"I think he ditched his com." Robin pointed out and Red X resisted the urge to imitate Superboy and growl at the situation in general. Raven must have sensed his irritation, because she gave him a piercing look, one that told him that he needed to calm down.

"_Super, now we can't even track him._" Kid Flash complained through the comlink and Red X listened to the others as he went to retrieve his X-cycle.

"_He's out of my telepathic range. This Professor Ivo, if he is alive, seems to be two steps ahead of us... Maybe we should contact Red Tornado?_" That comment was enough to make Red X really growl, which the others heard and made Miss Martian flinch, though he couldn't see it.

Red X hated the idea that he'd failed, that his team had failed. They'd never had to ask the League for help back in his world and he refused to do so now. Superboy had said it, Red X didn't want help and he certainly didn't need it.

"_Tornado always tells us to handle things ourselves and the mission can still succeed if we recover the parts before they're reassembled._" Aqualad reasoned and Red X focused on that, on the fact that they hadn't failed yet. They could still turn this around.

"_That's a great plan, except for the part about us not knowing where to look!_" Kid Flash argued, his sarcastic tone very noticeable over the comlink.

"Maybe we do." Robin said thoughtfully before he lowered himself towards one of the broken monkeys and hacked into its system. "We'd of heard by now if the decoy trucks had been attacked, so how did these monkeys know exactly which trucks to target?" He asked as he cracked the systems code, a holographic map appearing above his wrist mounted computer. "Hah, the parts have GPS; the monkeys can track the signal, which means I can track them with the one I captured. Looks like both parts on converging on… Gotham City."

Red X froze for a second, his hands tightening around the handles of his motorcycle. He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. Gotham was always in danger, this time was no different. There was no reason to be worried.

"_That far south? M'gann and I won't make it there anytime soon. I'm sending Kid ahead to meet with you, Aqualad out._" Red X pulled his bike up to Raven, who'd been silent the entire time. She climbed onto the back, sitting behind him as her arms came up to wrap around him once more.

"Definitely a disaster." Robin said as he activated a command on his computer and the remains of his bike revved up before driving towards him, a bit dinged up but ready to be ridden. "Heavy on the dis."

~Young Justice: Red X~

**METROPOLIS: August 3, 21:18 EDT**

"I'll have the apple pie." Clark Kent said to the waiter, his eyes still set firmly on the man across from him. Some of the customers made a bit of a ruckus at seeing Gotham's White Knight in person, but the staff acted accordingly and professionally. After all, Bruce Wayne came to their Dinner whenever he was in town.

"The devil's food, please." Bruce said as he handed the menu over to the waiter, smiling that million dollar grin that made most women go weak at the knees. Once the waiter left to fetch their orders, Bruce's warm look hardened, his sharp glare directed at Clark. Now that was the look that made criminal's go weak in the knees, but with fear instead.

"Something tells me this isn't about dessert." Clark said in an upbeat manner, hoping that Bruce wasn't going to bring up the boy he'd been avoiding since July. Bruce's glare sharpened and Clark's jovial mood evaporated.

"The boy needs you."

"No, he needs… you, he needs Red. I'm just a constant reminder of what he's not." Clark argued as he looked away from Bruce, unable to meet the man's eyes at the moment.

"Sorry Clark, but you're dead wrong." Bruce said flatly and Clark looked back at him, a scowl painted on the reporter's face. Bruce eased up and softened his own glare for a second before he continued. "Look, I know he… troubles you, but he's here, you have to get over the how and why. Trust me on this, this boy needs his father."

"I'm not his father and maybe you should think about your own relationships instead of worrying about mine." Clark hissed as he shot up from his seat, glaring down at Bruce with all his worth. At that comment, Bruce felt his own glower intensify and he could see the fleeting look of guilt flash over Clark's face for a moment.

"Richard and I are perfectly fine." Bruce growled with gritted teeth. It was a well-known fact throughout the League that one should never question Batman about how he raises Robin and Clark quickly realized the dangerous territory he'd just unwittingly stepped in.

"I wasn't talking about Dick; I was talking about the other kid you've been stringing along. If there's any boy in need of support, it's him." Clark said as he adjusted his hat while avoiding Bruce's gaze again. "I'll take that pie to go." He called to the kitchen before walking up to the register to pay for his meal, fully intending to ignore this conversation for the rest of his days.

Bruce let him, his dark eyes focused on the other end of the Dinner, taking in the image of an older man eating with a younger man, who were most likely father and son. Maybe he'd come down too hard on Clark, but the Kryptonian had to realize how serious the situation was. Bruce also couldn't deny that there was a part of him that was furious with Clark for abandoning the boy.

He'd lost his own father at the age of ten, Thomas Wayne had never been there to see him grow into the man he was today. So it infuriated and pained Bruce to see a father dismiss his own son, to not want anything to do with him. He couldn't imagine the hurt Superboy was going through.

He clenched his fists as his mind went over the last thing Clark had said. He hated the insinuation that he was being a hypocrite, that he wasn't trying with Red X. He was, it just wasn't easy to talk to the boy. He felt like there was a barrier between them, as if the boy himself held some sort of grudge against Batman.

Did Clark honestly think that he didn't know that Red X needed support, maybe even a father-figure to look up to, to rely on? As the waiter brought out his order, Bruce spared him a quick glance and a muttered thank you. He stared down at the dessert, his desire for the sweet food now gone.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**GOTHAM CITY: August 3, 21:31 EDT**

As they approached Gotham City, Red X turned to see that Kid Flash had caught up with them, wearing his suit. They had all abandoned their civilian clothes earlier, though he had forgone his cape for Raven's sake.

"So you changed too." Robin pointed out needlessly.

"Are you kidding? Ugh, I feel naked in civvies." Kid Flash replied. "Well, hello there beautiful, don't worry about this android, I'll stop him before he can hurt anybody." Kid Flash flirted towards Raven and Red X could practically feel her eyes roll. "You still tracking the parts?" Kid asked as he readdressed Robin.

"They were heading through Gotham, but they veered." The Boy Wonder said as he checked his computer. "Wait, dude they're at my school!" Robin shouted in surprise and Kid Flash laughed.

"Maybe if the android does enough damage, you could get out of class for the month." The two teens shared a smirk and the conversation dissolved into what they would each do with that much time off.

Red X's thoughts turned to his own days at Gotham Academy. He'd hated it there, the constant demand for perfection, the bullying that he wasn't able to stop for the sake of keeping his cover. He wondered if Robin experienced the same thing now. When he'd left Gotham at fourteen, he'd already been a junior and had quickly gained his high school diploma a few months after being a Teen Titan.

"What school do you go to Raven?" Kid Flash asked, bringing Red X out of his memories.

"I'll be attending Keystone High as a sophomore." She intoned and Red X quickly turned his head to look back at her. "Canary feels I need to have a more active lifestyle." She said, answering his unasked question. Red X didn't know what to think about that. School had never been a mandatory thing in the Teen Titans; they were constantly on call to help Jump City. Still, he didn't think it would be a bad thing for Raven to experience a normal teen's life.

"Really, sweet, that's my school and you're in the same year as me! Hey, maybe well have the same classes? Oh man, this year is going to rock! We'll get to hang out all the time now." Kid Flash said with a wide grin on his face.

"Oh, joy." Raven muttered impassively, though only Red X heard her.

"What about you X, where do you go to school?" Robin asked with a knowing grin, he'd already read everything concerning John Strike.

"I graduated from Gotham Academy early." He replied evenly and Robin frowned. '_That isn't the school he supposedly graduated from. Does that mean he's telling the truth or… is this his way of saying he knows who I am?_' Robin thought worriedly as he tightened his grip. '_No, that's not it. I just admitted to him that the Android was heading towards Gotham Academy, which was totally stupid! Sure, Wally knows who I am, but the others don't. Nice one, Grayson._' Robin mentally scolded himself. Batman wouldn't be pleased with that slip up at all.

"Heads up guys, there's my school." Robin alerted the rest of the group as he and Red X came to a halt in front of the building with Kid Flash and Raven already heading inside. "They didn't even wait for us, that's just rude."

"Try to keep up, kid." Red X said as he sent his younger self a smirk, though the boy didn't see it and teleported to where he picked up the Android's signal. He arrived just in time to see Superboy being pulverized by the Android. He shot off a few X-shuriken, stopping the robot in its' tracks as it activated the Martian Manhunter's phasing abilities. Superboy charged at the Android only to be knocked back as it activated Captain Atom's abilities.

"**Access: Flash.**" Was the only warning Red X had before the Android ran towards him. He barely dodged the first attack and without thinking, countered with series of kicks and punches that the Android blocked effortlessly with its' superior speed.

"**Access: Red X.**" His eyes widened and he cursed himself for forgetting to only use long ranged attacks on the Android. He was unprepared for the swift kick that caught him in the stomach, knocking him into the ground and aggravating his ribs. Kid Flash arrived and saved Red X from the Android's next attack, bringing him over towards the rest of the Titans. Robin threw an exploding birdarang, which the Android avoided by phasing.

"**Access: Red Tornado.**" The Titans and Raven were sucked up into the resulting whirlwind and thrown across the gymnasium. Superboy, Robin and Raven were knocked into the bleachers while Kid Flash and Red X ended up on the other side of the room behind a different set of bleachers. Red X shook off his dizziness and looked up to see the Android aiming his palm down at them.

"**Access: Captain Atom.**" Red X teleported behind the Android and slammed his own palms into the Androids back, who had proceeded to attack Kid Flash by using Black Canary's sonic abilities. Red X activated his electricity X's, sending volts of the red current through the enemy's metal frame, only for it to phase again. Red X tumbled forward through the android and was caught in its' powerful grip. "**Access: Superman.**"

The super powered punch had him flying across the room and colliding into a wall, leaving his body embedded in the hard surface for a moment, before gravity had him tumbling down to the floor. Red X stumbled to his feet slightly, coughing as he tried to regain his breath. He saw Raven block an attack that had been directed towards Robin and Kid Flash charged the robot only to be caught in a bear hug empowered by super strength.

Red X launched several shuriken and he spotted as arrow fly into the mix as they headed towards the Android who phased to avoid the attack, letting Kid Flash go in the process. Red X narrowed his eyes. Did he just spot a pattern in the Android's attacks?

"Raven, back me up!" He shouted over to his friend as Superboy, Robin and Kid Flash were hurled back. He charged at the Android, ignoring his ribs and launched a haymaker at the Android's head. It dodged using the Flash's speed and countered with Atom's energy blast, which Raven blocked for him.

"**Access: Red X.**" This time Red X was prepared. He matched blows with the Android, dodging and blocking as best he could as he tried to detect which moves the robot was going to use. He launched more shuriken and the Android phased, making Red X smile. He dove forward with his wrist blade extended, prepared to leave the Android sliced in half once it activated another power and became solid, but his plan was ruined as Ivo shouted out for his android's help.

The Android move and solidified before Red X could follow through with his attack.

"**Captain Atom.**" The robot called as it blasted Superboy, leaving itself open for Red X to attack. He redirected his earlier slash, aiming at the Android's back, causing a deep horizontal slash from its' lower back to its' right shoulder. "**Superman.**" The backwards kick was too powerful for Raven's shield to block completely and Red X slid back several feet, collapsing to one knee as he grabbed his lower ribs. '_If they weren't fractured before, then they're broken now._'

"Anybody want to play keep away?" Robin shouted and Red X looked up to see him kick Ivo in the back, knocking the professor onto his face. The Android moved to attack Kid Flash as the speedster charged for Ivo.

"X, launch some shuriken!" Robin shouted as he threw his own birdarangs and Red X nodded, seeing that the younger teen had also seen the Android's flaw. As the robot phased to evade the twin projectiles, Superboy dove to deliver a punch into its' intangible head.

"**Superman.**" As the Android solidified with Superboy's fist still in place, the components inside its' skull were instantly destroyed and its' head exploded. The Android crashed, defeated, before falling onto its' back and Robin rushed over to it.

"Help me disassemble him, now!" He shouted and Red X teleported over to him to help in dissecting the Android.

"Dude, the guy has no head." Kid Flash remarked as he walked over to Superboy, holding his shoulder which had obviously been injured.

"Don't take any chances." Aqualad said as he and Miss Martian entered the gymnasium.

"Superboy, are you alright?" She asked as she flew over to the clone and Raven landed down beside Red X.

"I'm fine, feeling the aster." Superboy replied, getting a grin from Robin.

"And what about you?" Raven intoned and Red X looked up at her to tell him he was fine, but ended up hissing instead as he jolted his ribs. She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged, seeing no point in lying. "Not alright then. Let me see your ribs." Red X slowly stood, allowing Raven to administer first aide.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Kid Flash asked as Raven's nimble fingers touched Red X's lower ribs, gently prodding to get an idea of how serious his injuries were. Red X took it all silently, a nagging feeling at the back of his mind telling him he'd forgotten something important.

"I have the ability to heal wounds. I'm not very good at it yet, I can heal heavy bruising, sprains and lacerations, but anything more severe is beyond my abilities." Raven answered evenly as she poked at one of Red X's more sensitive injuries, making him flinch slightly.

"Oh, so you play nurse too? I don't think getting hurt will be so bad now." Kid Flash said smoothly, before he straightened up suddenly. "Uh, guys, where's Ivo?"

'_Damn._' Red X thought angrily. '_I knew we forgot something._'

~Young Justice: Red X~

**MOUNT JUSTICE: August 4, 01:06 EDT**

"The AMAZO android is in pieces again, safely being analyzed at the two separate Star Labs, but Ivo escaped and since he originated the tech, he's arguably more dangerous than the android." Aqualad reported to Batman, Canary, Green Arrow, the Martian, and Red Tornado.

"Capturing the Professor will be a League priority." Black Canary said and Red X clenched his fists. How could he be so careless as to forget about Ivo?

"But we understand that your mission encountered other… complications." The Martian said, only increasing Red X's self-directed ire. They should have been able to stop a few robot monkeys, he and Raven had fought much worse.

"Complications come with the job. Your ability to handle them has impressed the League." Batman stated and Red X scoffed at that. Batman stared at him for a second before Superboy claimed the Dark Knight's attention.

"The whole League?" The clone asked.

"Given time, yes. Kryptonians, as you know, have very hard heads." Batman answered and suddenly Red X understood why Superboy had been so upset earlier. He must have had another confrontation with Superman, one that hadn't ended nicely. "Of course there's no shame in asking for help, that's why the League exists. Because there are some problems even we can't handle individually."

Red X rolled his eyes at that one, Batman never asked for help.

"Please, if we needed help, we'd never get the chance to ask. Look familiar? You were following us, babysitting, you still don't trust us!" Robin shouted as he pulled out the arrow Red X had spotted earlier.

"We didn't follow you." Batman responded evenly as Green Arrow brought out one of his arrows. Red X instantly noticed that the tips of the two arrows were different.

"And that's not your arrow." Robin said, sounding only slightly apologetic and more surprised. "But that means–"

"Speedy!" Kid Flash finished excitedly.

"He has our backs." Aqualad agreed, smiling with the others.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Red X stated and the others stared at him, ready to argue. "The arrows that Speedy uses has red feathers bordering the shaft, not green." He reminded them, ignoring the glare Green Arrow was sending him.

"So he changed colors, what does it matter?" Kid Flash asked in an annoyed tone. Red X shrugged, not caring enough to argue the point he was trying to make when the others were clearly determined to believe it was their friend who'd helped them. "Souvenir." Kid exclaimed as he shot forward and took the bolt from Green Arrow.

Batman and Green Arrow shared a look that only Red X and Raven seemed to have seen.

Red X noticed Superboy move over towards Black Canary, his earlier anger gone. He said something that was too soft for Red X to hear and Canary smiled, saying something back that made Superboy's tense posture relax for a second. Whatever it was that Superman had done to upset Superboy, Red X hoped that Black Canary would help him move past it.

Red X suddenly felt as if someone was staring at him and he turned, his eyes landing on Batman who was talking with an excited Robin. He shook his head and turned to Raven, asking what she thought about the Titans. He never noticed Batman's gaze flickering back to him.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Okay, one thing I have to point out to all those looking for that spark between Raven and Red X. Go back up to where Kid Flash places himself in-between Red X and Raven and is too close to Red X. It says that Red X is annoyed, but what about? Is he annoyed with Kid for invading his personal space or for hitting on Raven? I'll leave that up to you to speculate.

At the top where Red X says Raven should ride with him, I almost had him say, "She should ride with me, mine's bigger." Then I realized what great an innuendo that was. I laughed so heard trying to imagine Red X saying that, especially since Batman used that same line in the Justice League series.

In the show, several armored trucks were seen to be loaded with soldiers to protect the android parts. We even saw a group of three in the truck that Aqualad and the others were protecting. So, it made me wonder why there wasn't a troop in Robin's and Superboy's truck. Did the writers do that on purpose or did they forget? I don't know, but it gave Raven something to do.

Yay, more of Batman's thoughts concerning Red X! I really like writing Batman's struggle concerning Red X, it really broadens the story. Superman is being a dick which is something that I love, there's a little role reversal going on here. You'd figure Batman would be the one bad with kids, not Supey.

The chapter kind of focused on Superboy because, well, the episode was about him. But I didn't go over the solo battle he had against AMAZO, seeing as there would be no change from the show. It tried to keep the chapter mostly focused on Red X and Raven though, which was kind of hard since neither really talk a lot.

Next chapter we finally get to see Speedy, (ahem, Red Arrow), again while following the events of episode 6.

~Hexalys~


	16. Infiltrator

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

Okay, like I promised in the last chapter, you're going to get some Red Arrow in this update. Sadly, there wasn't nearly as much of him as I'd hoped, but from the way the story worked out, there wasn't much I could do about it. There's also a special appearance of a previously used character in this chapter, so bonus there.

Now read, enjoy and review. I do so much like it when you review.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 16: Infiltrator

**INFINITY ISLAND: August 7, 23:49 ECT**

This was a really bad idea on Red Arrow's part. Red X hadn't pointed that out, he'd agreed to follow the archer's lead and keep his mouth shut. So he stayed silent and did as he was told, even if he thought Red Arrow was being a bullheaded idiot.

Ever since Batman had ordered him to keep tabs on Speedy, Red X had made sure to be there in case the solo hero ever ran into something he couldn't handle. He'd found Speedy four nights ago and saw that the archer's uniform had changed drastically since the last time they'd met.

Speedy had lost the more Robin Hood styled theme, and replaced it with something more serious looking. The red from his old costume had stayed, but his new uniform was mostly black and gray, and styled in a much more militaristic manner. Thankfully, he'd gotten rid of that god-awful canary yellow. Even to Red X, someone who'd dressed similar to a traffic light, found the Speedy costume of this dimension to be a little ridiculous. '_It's got to be that hat._'

What Speedy had expected to be a simple drug bust, had turned into stumbling upon a plot cooked up by the League of Shadows. Of course, as soon as Red X had found out what Speedy had discovered, he had revealed himself, saying that he'd been following a similar lead. It was there that he'd learned that Speedy had changed his identity to Red Arrow.

He and Red Arrow had struck up a temporary partnership for the time being and began to investigate what the Shadows were up to, and why they needed a woman from a university in Star City. They're search revealed that the woman, Doctor Serling Roquette, was actually a master engineer in Nano technology.

Nano-tech, Red X absolutely hated Nano technology. It didn't really take much soul searching to find where this hatred came from. Nano-tech reminded him of Slade, of the Nano-probes that had infected the Teen Titans and had forced him to become Slade's apprentice.

In the following days, he and Arrow had managed to track down where the Shadows had taken the Doctor, an island near the equator. Red X had wanted to call in the Titans as backup, but from the moment that suggestion left his mouth, Red Arrow wouldn't stop scowling at him. In the end, Arrow had laid down his terms, either they do this together with Red X shutting up and following his lead, or Red Arrow would rescue the Doctor on his own.

Red X had reluctantly agreed. Batman wanted him to keep an eye on Red Arrow and the mission would go a lot smoother if Arrow felt like he could trust him. So he didn't speak up when Red Arrow put him on perimeter duty, and he didn't say anything as they snuck their way through the island, taking down anyone as quickly and quietly as they could.

As he watched Red Arrow knock out another guard, Red X had to admit that his friend's approach wasn't all that bad, especially considering there were only two of them on an island full of gunmen. That didn't mean that the Titans couldn't have made this mission easier if Arrow had just sucked up his pride and asked for help. Miss Martian could turn invisible, Robin was a master at being unseen, Superboy, Aqualad, and Kid Flash could have provided a distraction. There were numerous ways the Titans could have helped them.

"Stay here and run interference." Red Arrow ordered, breaking Red X out of his thoughts. He nodded, biting down on his tongue so that he wouldn't snap at his friend.

Orders were not something he was used to taking, not after three years of leading the Teen Titans. Aqualad didn't really order him to do anything. In the field, they would come up with a plan for how to handle things and each person would have their part to play. Most of the time the orders still came from him, disguised as suggestions to Aqualad who would then implement them in battle.

As for Batman, Red X didn't feel that he took orders from him either. He assisted the Dark Knight and took on the missions that were assigned to him; he wasn't following anyone's lead. So it irritated him that he simply that he allowed himself to stay silent, nodding his head obediently. As Red Arrow disappeared to scale the building, Red X turned his attention to the two men patrolling below him. He smirked to himself a little; beating up the hired help was always therapeutic.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**MOUNT JUSTICE: August 8, 09:58 EDT**

The beach was exactly what this day called for, in Robin's opinion at least. He let his toes dig into the warm sand and took a deep breath, inhaling the ocean scented air before sighing happily. Yep, there was nothing quite like a day at the beach. And it was all the more sweeter, considering he was supposed to be in school at the moment like Wally was.

The debacle with the Amazo Android at his school had pushed the first day back by a week, meaning he still had three days before Dick Grayson had to return to Gotham Academy. Robin almost felt like he should send a grift basket to Dr. Ivo, who was currently residing in Belle Reve Prison as of two days ago.

"Hello Megan, we should go to the beach every day!" The Martian said from beside Robin as she stretched her arms up towards the sun.

"First, let us have a moment of silence for our missing teammates." Robin said as he bowed his head in mock sympathy, placing a hand over his sunglasses, and inwardly snickering at Wally's fate.

"Poor Wally." He heard Megan say, sounding truly sad for the missing redhead. "Did Red X have to go to school too?" She asked and Robin chuckled as he imagined Red X sitting at a desk, still fully dressed in his costume and taking notes.

"I just don't think beaches are his thing, Megan." He offered, smiling as she seemed to think about what he said, before nodding.

"You're right; I can't imagine him with us here at all." She said after a moment. "Isn't that a sad thought to have, though?" She asked with a frown and Robin shrugged.

"It's just the way he is, he's seems like a really private guy." Robin answered easily. '_He's actually a lot like Bruce in that respect._' He continued silently to himself, his gaze landing on the water. Red X reminded him a lot of Batman, now that he thought about it. It was kinda weird…

"Whatever, let's just swim." Superboy said from behind them and Robin smiled before running ahead.

"Last one in is as dumb as Killer Croc!" He shouted, laughing as the others said that he'd cheated.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**CENTRAL CITY: August 8, 11:44 CDT**

Wally sighed as he trudged through the cafeteria. Lunch was usually his favorite time of the day, but he just couldn't seem to muster up any enthusiasm after how badly his first day had gone so far. First he'd had to sit through the most boring lecture he'd ever experienced. Then the water fountain had decided to give him an attitude, ruining his pants. For lunch they were having chicken casserole, which Wally swore was just leftovers from last year, and then he had gym class next period.

To top it all off, the rest of the Titans were spending their day at the beach!

He sighed and stopped, looking down at his unappetizing meal. Why did life hate him so much? He looked up, spotting a dark gray hoodie, and smiled a little to himself. Well, his first day back wasn't a complete bust. He walked over to the girl wearing the grey hoodie and sat down, barely noticing the lack of other people at the table.

"Hey Rachel, how's your first day been?" He asked as he rested his chin in his hand. Rachel turned to him, her dark violet eyes burrowing into his own, giving a frown which really seemed to be her default expression. But that was cool with Wally, goth girls were hot, especially super powered ones.

"It's been torture. If I wasn't so sure that this was real, I would have thought that this day was just Mad Mod's latest ploy." Rachel said, adjusting her clothes and sending her lunch a look of distrust and disgust.

"Mad Mod? Who's that?" He asked, letting his eyes rove over the rest of her when he was sure he wouldn't get caught checking her out. Underneath her hoodie she wore a dark blue tank top, a pair of black leggings that reached the middle of her calves and dark blue converse shoes. '_Nice._' He thought appreciatively.

"He's just some villain we used to fight, a lesser enemy of the Teen Titans." Rachel answered evenly and Wally leaned forward eagerly. He knew that Red X and Raven used to be on a team before the Titans, thanks to Robin telling him, but he didn't know much beyond that.

"What was he like? Did he have any powers? Did he have a weird fetish like Captain Boomerang or the Penguin?" He asked rapidly and she merely raised an eyebrow in response. "Please, Rachel? I'll share some of my adventures with you." She sighed after a moment, but nodded just the same.

"He did have an odd focus among his tactics. He continuously used hypnotism to enslave others and turn them British–"

"What? That's completely ridiculous!" Wally cut in, ducking his head as Rachel sent him a glare for interrupting. "Sorry, continue."

"He was an old man with no powers, but he was very good with technology. He used traps and computer generated illusions the first time we fought him. He'd trapped us in a warehouse that he'd redesigned, claiming he was trying to give us a proper education." She paused and gave him an unimpressed look as he shuddered at that thought. School was already bad enough; Wally didn't want to think about bad guys who wanted to enforce even more of it on him.

"The second time he'd created some sort of cane that had allowed him to swap ages with Red X, making Mad Mod young and Red X old. That was perhaps the hardest fight we'd ever had with Mad Mod. We'd had no idea how to handle him without Red X there to give us orders. Eventually, after a bit of trial and error, we managed to get Mad Mod's cane into Red X's hands and he destroyed it, returning everything back to normal."

"Oh man, that is so messed up." Wally said as he quickly ate his meal, realizing the class period was going to end soon. "Well, I did agree to share a story about yours truly. How about I tell you the time Flash and I got caught in one of Mirror Master's mirrors? Talk about a labyrinth." Wally smiled to himself as Rachel pushed her food off to the side and gave him her undivided attention.

Maybe the year wouldn't be so bad after all.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**MOUNT JUSTICE: August 8, 21:34 EDT**

"What happened to your old one?" Roy heard Wally ask as the Beta Tubes teleported him into Mount Justice. He looked out over the gathered group of heroes, eyes darkening as he spotted the blonde girl dressed in green and carrying a bow. It didn't take Batman's famous detective skills to figure out who she was supposed to be.

"Well for starters, he doesn't go by Speedy anymore. Call me Red Arrow." He said to the room, glowering at his mentor and the girl. She responded with lifting her chin, her eyes narrowing at the sight of him and he instantly felt dislike towards her. Ollie stepped forward to greet him, the girl's eyes shooting a worried look toward him for a second before she covered it up with a glare.

"Roy, you look–"

"Replaceable." He said angrily, cutting off whatever it was Ollie was going to say. He didn't come here for a warmhearted reunion. In fact he only came because Red X insisted that the Doc shouldn't be left alone. While he had agreed, that meant one of them was stuck babysitting the woman while the other went to get the Titans to protect her. Seeing as the Doc had done nothing but complain since they'd saved her, Roy had thought he'd been getting the better end of the deal.

He certainly hadn't expected to see Ollie, or his new protégé.

"It's not like that, you told me you were going solo." Green Arrow argued and Roy felt his hands clench. Apparently going solo was also code for, replace him with the next kid Ollie could find. A month had passed since he'd quite being Speedy, a month! It was ridiculous that Ollie had taken on another student so soon, like he'd had one sitting on the sidelines, just waiting to be switched in.

"So why waste time in finding a sub, can she even use that bow?" He asked heatedly and the girl stepped forward, shooting him a dark look. Roy felt his glare narrow. Oh, he really disliked this girl.

"Yes, she can." She answered with bravado.

"Who are you?" Wally blurted out, sounding upset, and for that, Roy felt a little grateful. At least not everyone was warming up to his replacement so quickly.

"She's my niece." Green Arrow said at the exact moment she said, "I'm his niece." Red Arrow almost scoffed at that blatant lie. He'd lived with Ollie for the past three years and he knew for a fact that Oliver Queen had just as many family members as Bruce Wayne did. He sent Ollie a hard look, which the man returned, his hand landing on the girl's as she continued to glare at him.

Roy knew he could ruin this for her, he could tell the others that she was definitely not Green Arrow's niece. They would be hesitant to trust her after that and she deserved it for trying to replace him. But something held him back and he decided to keep the truth to himself, at least until he found out who the girl really was.

"Another niece?" Robin asked from behind him, sounding skeptical, and Roy knew that at least one of the Titans would be suspicious.

"But she is not your replacement. We have always wanted you on the team and we have no quota on archers." Aqualad offered peacefully, sending Roy a meaningful glance. He inwardly smiled, knowing that at least Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad would have his back.

"And if we did, you know who we'd pick." Wally added as he sent him a smirk. Roy almost did smirk then, but his good mood evaporated quickly as the girl moved to stand beside him.

"Whatever Baywatch, I'm here to stay." She sounded confidant and Red Arrow knew that the Leaguers had secured her a position among the Titans no matter what they did or said. He purposefully stepped away from her, giving her a dark look as he moved closer to Aqualad.

"You came to us for a reason." The Atlantian said, obviously trying to play the mediator of the group.

And as much as Roy liked Kaldur, he couldn't help but wonder why Red X hadn't been chosen as the leader of the Titans. From what he'd seen last night, he was certain Red X would be able to handle the role of leadership. He pushed those thoughts away and focused on the debriefing. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could get away from Ollie and _her_.

"Yeah, a reason called Dr. Serling Roquette." Red Arrow answered and Robin brought up all the information he had on the woman for the others to see.

"Nano-robotics genius and Claytonias expert at Royal University in Star City, vanished two weeks ago." Robin rattled off for the others as he brought up a brief bio of the Doc and her work.

"Abducted two weeks ago." Red Arrow corrected. "By the League of Shadows."

"Whoa, you want us to rescue her from the Shadows?" Robin asked in an awed tone.

"Hard core." Wally added as he bumped fists with Robin.

"Red X and I already rescued her." Red Arrow said as he walked away from the group and up to the holo-screens. "Only one problem, the shadows had already coerced her into creating a weapon. Doc calls it the Fog, comprised of millions of microscopic robots. Nano-tech infiltrators, capable of disintegrating anything in their path, concrete, steel, flesh, bone. But its' true purpose isn't mere destruction, it's theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system and deliver the stolen Intel to the Shadows. Providing them access to weapons, strategic defense, cutting edge science and tech."

"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power broking… yeah, sounds like the Shadows." The girl said after a moment and Roy had to grit his teeth to keep from snapping at her. Everyone in the room was very much aware of what the League of Shadows could do. She was merely trying to prove that she wasn't clueless to the others, to make herself seem valuable.

"Like you know anything about the Shadows." Wally stated as he looked at her with disbelief to which she only smirked at. "Who are you?!"

"Roquette is working on a virus to make the Fog inert." Red Arrow said, trying to hurry things along. He really couldn't stand being in anyone's presence for much longer. Robin looked over at him in surprise, clearly realizing what their mission was going to be.

"But if the Shadows know she can do that–"

"They'll target her." Roy finished, sending a nod towards Robin. "Right now she's off the grid; I stashed her at the local high school's computer lab."

"You left her alone?" Green Arrow asked, sending his protégé a wide-eyed look, his tone sounding like Red Arrow done something stupid.

"No, Red X is with her at the moment." He answered tersely, feeling as if Ollie was judging his way of doing things already.

"Then let's you and I keep her that way." Green Arrow suggested and Roy felt something bitter bite at the back of his throat and his eyes drifted to the mysterious girl standing behind Ollie.

"You and I? Don't you want to take your new protégé?" Red Arrow was slightly relieved to see Batman grab onto Ollie's shoulder, stopping the man from getting any closer. Roy wasn't sure if he could resist socking Ollie at the moment if the man got too close. A silent conversation played out between the two Leaguers and Ollie sighed before taking a step back.

"You brought this to the time, it's their mission, which means it's her's now too." He said and Roy didn't bother to hold back the sneer that wanted to form on his face.

"Tch, then my job's done." He stated, leaving behind everyone and heading over towards the Beta Tubes. He briefly thought about returning to the school to inform Red X that the Titans were on their way, but decided against it. What he needed right now was to work off some steam.

"**Recognize: Speedy.**"

"That's Red Arrow, B06, update." He growled at the machine before disappearing in the white vortex and arriving in the abandoned photo booth that he'd used to teleport into Mount Justice. He shot a glance at the direction of the school before getting onto his motorcycle, driving yowards Bludhaven. There was always some sort of crime being committed in that city.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**HAPPY HARBOR: August 8, 21:49 EDT **

"Are you sure this team of yours is any good? Why can't the Justice League protect me?" Doctor Roquette asked for what felt like the hundredth time to Red X.

"Because this isn't a high priority mission." He answered evenly as he stared out of a nearby window, looking for any sort of movement.

"How can this not be high priority? My life is in danger; the League of Shadows has the Fog! You know what it can do and what the League of Shadows would be able to do with it. My invention could possibly be the tool that brings about the end of the world! How is that not important?" She screeched and Red X made a motion for her to be silent. She only glared at him and he sighed in response. He shouldn't have let Red Arrow be the one to inform the Titans about the mission. This woman was a nightmare.

"Doctor, do you know how often the world is put in danger? At least once a week our existence is threatened by someone or something. This Fog, while it has great potential, has not yet reached the stage of being considered a threat by the League. Besides, it's not as if your protection comes from ordinary people. The Titans consists of the teens who will one day replace their mentors in the League." He said firmly, eyes fixated on the forest outside.

His longer explanation seemed to calm the woman down, but the sullen change in her demeanor was not what he'd been aiming for. He knew she was simply lashing out, she was scared and she had every right to be. It was his job to keep her safe, to make her feel safe. But like Batman, he'd never been very good at comforting victims or hostages.

Before, it was because he was young. No adult would feel safe with having a twelve year old boy acting as their protector against the worst that Gotham had to offer. That opinion hadn't changed much when he'd formed the Teen Titans; the citizens of Jump had viewed them as just a bunch of rebellious teens for a good two years before they finally came around.

After the years of people telling him that he couldn't save them, that they wanted someone better like Batman, he had just come to ignore them. It was easier to block them out and focus on the mission instead. So Red X completely found himself out of his element as the Doctor looked down at her hands, tears building in the corners of her eyes.

"_Red X, we have arrived on the roof._" He heard Aqualad say over the comlink in his mask.

"Good, get down here to the computer lab, it's on the second floor." He returned, shooting a glance of at the Doctor as she wiped her eyes and continued on with making the virus. "We should have a perimeter set up now."

"_Ah, excuse me, who is this guy?_" A female voice, one Red X didn't recognize, said over his airwave. "_And why is he giving us orders?_"

"I could ask the same of you, how did you get this frequency?" He asked back quickly, eyes scanning the room.

"_She is our new teammate, Artemis._" Aqualad answered, easing some of the tension out of Red X's body. "_And he is our teammate, Red X. He is very knowledgeable and has more experience in working with a large team, unlike the rest of us._" Red X heard the Atlantian explain to Artemis. "_Basically, he is like an advisor who points us in the right direction should we start to stray off our intended course._"

"_Never heard of him._" Artemis responded in a bored tone.

"Likewise." He retorted, ignoring Kid Flash as he chuckled. "We can do a proper meet and greet as soon as you're here, so hurry up."

"_Miss Martian, Superboy, you two will guard the outside of the school. Alert us if you hear or sense anything._" Aqualad ordered, getting confirmation from the two before continuing. "_The rest of us will join Red X in guarding Doctor Roquette._"

"Sounds good." He answered before turning to address the Doctor. "My team is here and will be down–" He was cut off as Kid Flash sped into the room. "Now."

"So you're the Doc, huh?" Kid Flash said as he gave her a look. "You know, I don't usually go for the brainy type, but for you, it works sweetheart." The Doctor gave the speedster a look of disgust and Red X reached over to cuff him. "Ouch, what was that for?" Kid Flash asked as he rubbed the back of his head, glaring at Red X.

"Not now." He growled and Kid Flash raised his hands, backing away to sit on a desk and taking out a strip of beef jerky from a hidden compartment on his suit. "What do you make of Artemis?"

"She's totally full of herself!" Kid Flash exploded angrily, pulling a complete 180 in his mood. "You should have seen how mad Speedy was when he saw that Green Arrow had replaced him with some new girl. Now she's on the team instead of him!" Red X stopped listening to the rest Kid Flash's rant after that.

'_Green Arrow replaced Red Arrow with Artemis?_' He felt his stomach knot up with an emotion he couldn't identify. Red X couldn't imagine what it must feel like to be replaced. Batman, thankfully, had never replaced him with another partner. Even after he'd left Gotham, even after three years of leading the Teen Titans, Batman had never chosen another sidekick.

"You know I could hear you from down the hall, right?" The female voice from before said, interrupting Red X's thoughts. He stood up from the wall he'd been leaning against and gave the girl a once over. Her costume was green, the same color as Green Arrow's, with long blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail. He studied her face, focusing mainly on her eyes, feeling as if he'd seen them somewhere before. "So this is Red X." She said, also taking the chance to look him over. "Nice cape."

"Have we met before?" He found himself asking, drawing a blank as he tried to think of where he could have seen her. "You look familiar." Her shoulders tensed for a second, before she managed to cover her slipup with a shrug. Now that was a curious reaction.

"Maybe we dated in the past." She offered and Kid Flash choked on his beef jerky, Robin snickering slightly as he hit his best friend on the back.

"Teenagers…" He heard the Doctor mutter under her breath as she rubbed at her eyes. Aqualad ignored the others and walked over to Red X, offering an Atlantian handshake that he returned.

"It is good to see you again my friend, I had worried over your absence when we were called to Mount Justice earlier." Aqualad said and Red X simply nodded his head towards the Doctor. He saw Aqualad smile in understanding, before closing his eyes for a moment and then opening them again.

"_**Everyone online?**_" Miss Martian mentally asked Artemis was the first to respond.

"_**Ugh, this is weird.**_" She thought back over the link.

"_**And distracting, coding and distributing an algorithm virus on a kiddy computer with less RAM than a wristwatch is hard enough, now I have to hear teen think in my skull?**_" The Doctor complained before burying her head into her hands.

"_**Lady, do you always complain when someone tries to help you?**_" Kid Flash asked.

"_**Pot, kettle. Have you met?**_" Artemis said, making Kid Flash glare at her.

"_**Hey, hey, I do not need attitude from the newbie who drove Red Arrow off the team.**_" Kid argued, making Artemis stand up as she pointed her head away from the speedster.

"_**That's so not on me.**_" She stated angrily. From where the Doctor sat, Red X saw her fling her hands up into the air in frustration.

"_**Fate of the world at stake!**_" She needlessly reminded everyone and Red X nodded for her to continue with her work. She sighed before turning back to the computer, obviously trying to ignore everyone else in the room.

"_**She started it.**_" Kid Flash responded childishly, folding his arms and looking away.

"_**Enough.**_" Red X growled, the small fragments of his patience now gone. "_**Artemis, go and patrol the perimeter with Miss Martian and Superboy.**_" She glared at him for a second before Aqualad spoke.

"_**Good idea.**_" The Atlantian agreed and Artemis huffed before she moved to leave the room.

"_**You might cut her some slack; it was her arrow that saved your butt against Amazo.**_" Robin pointed out. Red X sighed as he closed his eyes and leaned against a wall, relenting that he too would be unable to escape the petty drama that had brewed over his teammates.

"_**What? No! That was Speedy's, I mean Red Arrow's arrow, right?**_" Kid Flash asked quickly.

"_**Not so much.**_" Robin corrected.

"_**Well, still not giving her the satisfaction.**_" Kid muttered sourly.

"_**You know, I can still hear you.**_" Artemis reminded them and Kid Flash gripped his head in anger as Robin smiled at his friend's misfortune.

"_**I couldn't get the Justice League.**_" The Doctor lamented again.

"_**The virus won't be of much use if we cannot find the weapon, can you track it?**_" Aqualad asked as he approached the Doctor. Red X stood and joined Aqualad, eyes roaming over the coding that the Doctor had managed to come up with so far. It was complex and he could only follow half of the basic coding, but he didn't need to understand it in order for it work.

"_**My utility Fog is not a weapon. It's science, brilliant science and of course I can track it, but I'll have to go online. Might as well rent a billboard with this address and assassinate me written in neon.**_" She answered bitterly.

"_**We will protect you.**_" Aqualad said as he laid a comforting hand on the Doctor's shoulder. She gave him and Red X a searching look, before activating the tracer.

"_**Tracking the Fog now.**_" She said as the computer pinpointed the Fog's location. "_**It seems to be in Philadelphia at the moment.**_"

"_**And on the move by the looks of it.**_" Red X added as he brought up the holo computer in his suit, the red light glaring off of his white mask. He tried to run a search for private planes departing from Philadelphia, but found nothing. "We should send out a team to follow it and to run interference in case the next site it chooses is populated." Aqualad nodded.

"_**Mm, that boy.**_" Artemis said suddenly over the link and Red X felt his eyes narrow. That was just what the team needed, another hormonal teenager. It was odd that Kid Flash and Artemis didn't like each other; the two seemed to have some very striking similarities.

"_**He can hear you, we can all hear you.**_" Miss Martian reminded their newest member, sounding annoyed for the first time since Red X had met her.

"_**Oh, I know.**_" Artemis replied smartly.

"_**Miss Martian, Doctor Roquette has located the Fog, reconfigure the Bio-ship so that Robin and Superboy may pursue.**_" Aqualad ordered and Red X nodded in agreement as the Atlantian shot him a look. Superboy's Kryptonian body make-up might provide some resistance against the Fog and Robin was computer savvy enough to handle uploading the virus directly into the Nano-machines.

"Well, this is my stop guys. Try not to say any more embarrassing things KF." Robin said to the room before jumping out of a window, laughing as he went.

"Dude!" Kid Flash shouted after his friend before huffing and crossing his arms. "I don't see why I couldn't go too." He muttered as he glared at the floor.

"Because if any of us needs backup, you'll be able to supply support." Red X answered as he watched the Bio-ship fly away.

"_**You embarrassed Superboy.**_" Miss Maritain said after a minute and Red X gave a tired sigh. It seemed Artemis wasn't making any good impressions on the rest of the team. For a sickening moment, he was reminded of another blonde girl with an attitude that had rubbed the Teen Titans the wrong way. Red X sincerely hoped that Artemis wasn't going to be this world's Terra.

"_**Didn't hear him say that.**_" Artemis responded.

"_**Must you challenge everyone?**_" Miss Martian asked heatedly.

"_**Where I come from, that's how you survive.**_" Artemis answered roughly.

"_**If you haven't noticed, this team is not like where you come from. You're brazen attitude can only get you so far here.**_" Red X warned, his words coming out much sterner than he'd meant. He was met with silence. "Kid, guard the door." He said to the speedster who nodded and left the room.

"Our team has not been the most welcoming to her." Aqualad said after a moment, pausing before he continued. "Perhaps, we are being too harsh on her to demand that she conform to our ways so quickly. Did we not also have troubles adjusting to each other?"

"She doesn't need a gentle hand Kaldur, her type responds better to the tougher approach. We can have meetings later to get to know her better, to welcome her into the group, but right now we are on a mission. She needs to fall into step with the others or else she'll end up tripping us." He answered as he gave the Atlantian a look, before continuing.

"This team is new, we don't know our limitations and we don't know each other all that well either. We can take things slow once this mission is complete, but for now, we can't allow any fighting amongst the Titans. Artemis seems to be determined to push everyone's buttons; she's on the defensive and feels like she has to prove herself." Aqualad sighed in repsonse.

"Perhaps you are–" Whatever the Atlantian was about to say next, was cut off as Red X threw three X-shuriken, blocking the ones that had been thrown at the Doctor's back.

"Doctor, get down." Aqualad ordered as he dodged another set of shuriken. A familiar white and red mask appeared in the crack of the door as three more shuriken were aimed at the Doctor who had yet to move. Aqualad stepped forward instinctively, not making any noise as the bits of metal embedded themselves into his arm.

"Oh, that had to hurt." A female voice said while a different one chuckled in agreement.

"Atlantian skin is quite dense." Aqualad retorted as he flexed his arms, brushing off the shuriken and drawing out his water weapons. Red X had to doge as a katana came out of nowhere, stabbing the wall mere inches from his head. He looked up to see a familiar orange and black mask.

"Hey X, it's been awhile. I'm looking forward to a rematch." Ravager said as she winked at him and drew back her sword. Red X shot a glance over at Aqualad and the Doctor. The Atlantian seemed to be handling Cheshire fine, but the Doctor stiil hadn't taken shelter yet. Ravager followed his gaze and smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about her; you're the one in danger at the moment." He brought up his staff just in time to block her overhead strike and he pushed forward, sending her back a few feet and giving him a chance to regroup with Aqualad.

"_**M'gann, Kid, Artemis, we are under attack in the computer lab.**_" Aqualad informed the others.

"_**On our way.**_" Artemis responded. Red X tossed a few shuriken at both Cheshire and Ravager as they advanced forwards. Cheshire easily broke off to attack Aqualad and Ravager charged at him again, making sure to avoid his shuriken.

"You're not going get me with the same trick twice." Ravager said, alluding to their last match. "I learn from my mistakes, X." He smirked.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from someone who studied under Slade." She tensed at his comment, much like she had done in the Arena. Her brown eyes narrowed at him and she lashed out with a kick aimed towards his stomach that he managed to block.

Red X jerked his head to the left as he heard Aqualad shout, he saw the Atlantian fall to the floor and Cheshire raised a Sai to finish him off. Reacting as quickly as he could, Red X grabbed the front of Ravager's uniform and threw her over his shoulder towards Cheshire. Ravager managed to land on her feet, but her body still tumbled into Cheshire's, knocking the black haired girl into a desk. At the same time, a green arrow whizzed past the two assassins, heading towards Red X. He moved, but grimaced a little as he felt the arrow skim over his shoulder.

"Don't move." Artemis hissed and Red X looked over to see her standing in the doorway, reloading an arrow and pointing it at Ravager. He gripped his shoulder for second, wincing at the bruise that was most likely forming on his skin. Aqualad recovered quickly and brought up his weapons, standing defensively near Red X.

"This gig's getting interesting." Cheshire said as Ravager brought up her katana. Cheshire pointed her Sai at Artemis in a challenging manner and the archer responded by shooting four arrows consecutively that both girls blocked with their weapons, redirecting the arrows towards the Doctor who'd crouched down to avoid getting hit.

Red X teleported over to the Doctor to block the arrows just as Kid Flash and Miss Martian arrived in the room. The two assassins paused as the saw that they were surrounded and that their target was now much harder for them to reach.

"Maybe a little too interesting." Ravager said as she shared a look with Cheshire. They simultaneously brought out smoke bombs, throwing them onto the floor as Kid Flash dove after them, only to end up missing. As the smoke cleared, Red X turned to the windows, seeing two figures sprinting for the trees.

"They're getting away; you're letting them get away!" The Doctor shouted, the close encounter clearly destroyed the last of the woman's nerves.

"This is all your fault, you were on perimeter! How'd those Shadows get in?" Kid Flash shouted at Artemis who simply glared at him in response.

"That's not really fair, I was outside too." Miss Martian said as she walked over towards the two.

"Outside, being distracted by her. Besides, I can't be mad at you." Kid Flash said making Miss Martian smile. "_**You gave me mouth-to-mouth.**_"

"We heard that!" Almost everyone responded.

"Dang it!" Kid Flash growled as he stalked away from the girls.

"I didn't do half as well in my first battle, and I know you haven't been Green Arrow's sidekick for very long." Miss Martian said as she placed a hand on Artemis's shoulder, trying to comfort their newest teammate.

"That still begs the question of how they snuck in while under your watch." Red X said as he looked at both girls. Miss Martian bowed her head guiltily, while Artemis raised her chin defiantly. "Had you been paying attention and not arguing, you might have spotted them."

"My point exactly." Kid Flash agreed and Red X sent him a mild glare.

"And where were you Kid, you were supposed to be guarding the door?" Red X asked and Kid Flash floundered for a second before recovering.

"Hey, I was doing my job. I saw something suspicious and followed it!" He answered defensively.

"Why didn't you alert us then?" Red X continued and Kid Flash tried to think of an excuse before his gaze dropped to the floor, realizing that he'd screwed up too. "We focus on the mission at all times."

"Yes, and the Shadows will be back, we must be better prepared next time." Aqualad agreed and the others nodded.

"_Robin to Aqualad._" Robin said over the comlink, since he was currently out of Miss Martian's telepathic range. "_We've located the Shadows next target, Star Labs. We're too late; it's destroyed, totally destroyed. The Fog decimated it. This is bad, Star Labs is cutting edge science and now their secrets are in the hands of the enemy. What's our next move?_"

"Rescan for that Fog, find it." Aqualad said as he gave Red X a look. "We're moving the Doctor."

~Young Justice: Red X~

Red X stood on the roof of the warehouse that the others were currently inside of. He and Aqualad were running perimeter this time, something that Red X was glad for, he didn't think he could handle being around Kid Flash and Artemis at the moment. Those two fought like cats and dogs, it's was worse than when Beast Boy and Raven fought.

"_**Stop it, both of you.**_" Aqualad ordered through the mind link.

"_**What?**_" Both Kid and Artemis asked at the same time.

"_**I can hear you glaring.**_" Aqualad continued, making Red X smirk. At least he wasn't the only one already tired of his teammate's antics.

After a minute Red X heard the sound of fighting and he stood still, acting as if nothing were wrong and sticking with the plan. The sound of something whirling though the air caught his attention and he turned to see a disk being thrown in his direction. Recognizing it as the same type of exploding discus that Sportsmaster often used. He teleported backwards, avoiding the resulting blast. He turned at hearing a light shuffle behind him and brought up his X-wrist blade, blocking Ravager's sword.

"Round 3, tough guy." She said, smirking at him as she launched a punch at his jaw. He dodged and pulled out an X-sword, the simple piece of red metal extending owtwards like his Bo Staff did. "Ooooh, shiny."

He parried her strike with one of his own, knowing that his mission was to delay Ravager for as long as he could. They traded blows for a few minutes, testing each other's skill and seeing if their opponent could keep up. Ravager held the advantage when it came to swords, it was obviously her preferred weapon, but Red X outmatched her in movement. He was quick and light, able to twist and flip in any direction to avoid her well-aimed attacks.

"Okay, what gives?" She asked as Red X dodged her latest strike. "You never stay on the defensive and I know you have some gadgets in that suit of yours that could make this fight a lot harder." She said as she glared at him. "Are you not taking me seriously?" She hissed and Red X gave no response.

Suddenly, noise broke out on the street below and they could see Cheshire running down the street with Artemis chasing after her.

"Or are you simply trying to distract me?" Ravager said as she turned back to him, a smile on her face. "Oh you clever little things, you pulled the old switcheroo on us." He shrugged.

"The Doctor needs time to finish the virus and you just wasted a good portion of it on me." He said simply and her smile turned sour as she narrowed her eyes. "Shall we continue?" She simply smirked before throwing a smoke bomb.

Red X activated his infrared vision and followed after her. He chased her across the buildings and managed to stop her on the roof of the sore that the Doc was hiding in. He tossed an ice disk, creating a decently sized wall, making Ravager halt in her advance as she was forced to dodge an elbow strike to her stomach.

"You know, I've never had a guy pursue me with as much as intensity as you." She said as he aimed a kick at her head that she managed to duck. "Have you fallen for my womanly charms?" She asked tauntingly and he grunted as she broke through his defense and landed a kick in his stomach.

As she swung her sword to follow through with her attack, Red X kicked at her legs, making her stumble back. Her foot landed on a patch of ice and she slipped backwards in a titled angle, falling off the edge of the roof. His eyes widened and he instinctively reached out to grab her hand, almost falling over the edge with her as her weight and gravity pulled against him.

"You saved me?" She asked and maybe it was because of her mask that Red X was reminded of a time where he'd said the same thing to Slade.

"I'm noy through with you yet." She looked up at him in surprise, before he activated the knockout gas in his palm, putting her to sleep. Red X sighed as he pulled her up onto the roof and laid her down. The fall wouldn't have killed Ravager; it probably wouldn't have even broken anything if she'd managed to adjust her landing in time. It was an old reaction on his part, one that was born from seeing his parents fall to their deaths.

An explosion from below caught his attention and he turned, shuriken resting in his hand, as he looked over the edge of the roof. He saw Cheshire lying on the ground, blown back by the explosive arrows that Artemis must have launched seconds earlier.

"Don't move a muscle." Artemis growled as she pointed her bow down at Cheshire. Cheshire stood anyways, turning to face Artemis and Red X saw that her mask had been removed. Cheshire had an oriental styled face, with dark eyes to match her dark hair, a smirk playing across her face.

"Wow, I am completely at your mercy." Cheshire said and Artemis gasped.

"You." She whispered softly and Red X could tell from her tone that Artemis had recognized her opponent.

"I suppose now you bring me to justice, let your new friends interrogate me. I wonder if your position's secure enough to survive them learning everything I know." Cheshire said darkly, smiling a little as Artemis lowered her bow. "Didn't think so. So like the Cheshire Cat, I'll just disappear." And with that Cheshire vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Red X narrowed his eyes, there was obviously much more to his new teammate than any of the others believed. This girl was beginning to seem more like Terra with every passing moment. What was her connection to Cheshire? Was she working for someone else? Did the League have any idea of who Artemis really was? What knowledge had Cheshire been hinting about?

"Oops, I don't think you were supposed to hear that part." Ravager said from behind Red X and he slowly turned his head to see that she'd moved to the other end of the roof.

"What connection do those two share?" He asked and Ravager shrugged.

"Now I _know_ I shouldn't tell you that information." She said lightly, slowly moving closer to the edge.

"How about a trade, I'll make sure you get a fair trial in court and you tell me what Artemis is hiding." He stated bringing out an electric X that glowed brightly as a current of red energy flowed through it.

"Nice try, but I'm in the clear at this distance. Besides, don't you have a civilian to check on?" Ravager retorted and Red X gritted his teeth, knowing that she was right. "I'll give you a hint though; the secret lies in the eyes." And with that Ravager jumped over the edge of the roof, disappearing into the night. His attention was returned to the street below as he saw the Doc bring Aqualad out of the store.

"Artemis, where's the assassin?" Aqualad asked, sounding out of breath.

"She, uh… she got away." Artemis replied as Kid Flash arrived.

"Oh, from you, big surprise." He said sarcastically and Artemis turned away from him and the others. Red X stayed where he was on the roof, observing his suspicious teammate. "Notice, we got ours." Kid Flash suddenly bent down to pick something up. "Cool, souvenir." Red X saw that Kid held Cheshire's mask in his hands.

"Her mask? Did you see her, her face?" Aqualad asked as he grunted and pulled out the darts that had been stuck in his chest.

"It was dark." Artemis answered shortly.

"It is fine." Aqualad said quickly, trying to soothe what he'd mistaken as Artemis being defensiveness for failing, when she was actually lying directly to his face. "Robin and Superboy neutralized the Fog and Doctor Roquette is safe. Thanks in no small part to you." At that, Artemis finally turned around to face the others. "Welcome to the team."

"Hey, where'd Red X?" Miss Maritain said suddenly. "I didn't see him at all in the warehouse; do you think he's hurt?"

"I'm fine Miss Martian." He said, jumping down from the rooftop and making his appearance known. "Like Artemis, I'm afraid my own enemy escaped too." He heard Kid Flash scoff, but he only had eyes for Artemis. She gave him a worried look. "Sometimes the bad guys just manage to get away, you did good on your first mission." He said and she looked relieved, most likely thinking that he hadn't been on the roof during her confrontation with Cheshire. And that he had no idea she was hiding a dark secret.

For now, Red X wanted to keep it that way.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Well, there ya go for chapter 16. I can't believe how many words there were for this chapter. I totally thought that this was going to be one of the shorter ones. To be honest, I was really sorta blah with this chapter. Nothing really exciting here happened, but I wanted to fully flesh out this chapter because this is when Artemis made her appearance and I know there were a lot of readers who've been dying to read this chapter.

What I loved most, was how Red X drew up similarities between Terra and Artemis. That thought totally struck me out of nowhere and I can see Red X honestly thinking this way. He witnesses Artemis's conversation with Cheshire, putting him on edge around her and making him suspicious. Of course, this information will come into play later when he finds out that there's a mole on the team.

Also, Ravager got to show up, so yay for that. Plus, I really liked that little scene where Red X saved Ravager. Ah, memories.

Next chapter we'll be moving into episode seven, Denial. It will be different from original storyline, so those of you who want me to break free from the script will be happy with the changes.

~Hexalys~


	17. Denial

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!

Okay, a bunch of you guys have been pushing for me to separate my chapters more from the storyline, feeling that it's a little too complacent to how the episodes progressed. So here you go, this chapter follows episode seven story-wise, but has a major twist added in it too. I hope you guys like it, because I certainly do. Also, I went through the last chapter and added a little scene between Red X and Ravager. See if you can spot it.

So, enjoy the update and leave me a ton of reviews! Which, by the way, we've almost reached nine hundred at this point; I can't wait for when this story gets to a thousand!

~Young Justice: Red X~

Chapter 17: Denial

**MOUNT JUSTICE: August 19, 19:39 EDT**

Kaldur ducked as Superboy launched forwards at him. He spun a kick at the clone, who blocked and pushed back, forcing Kaldur to move into a backhand spring, landing on one knee. He recovered and sent an uppercut at his teammate, blocking the strike aimed at his chest. The Atlantian grimaced lightly, shaking his numb arm, obviously trying to get some feeling back into the limb.

Wally guessed that while Atlantians had super strength, it seemed Kryptonians were still stronger. He shrugged, not really caring who won the fight, and turned his attention back to his burrito. After a few more seconds, and with the girls giggling about something, Superboy managed to beat Aqualad.

"Black Canary taught me that." The clone said proudly, which made Wally think of the woman and her sidekick. Man, what he wouldn't give for a team up with those two. His daydream was interrupted as Red Tornado dropped down into the room. He promptly finished his snack and raced over, stopping the Android before it could get too far away. Seriously, if they were giving out awards for the most secluded hero, it would be a tossup between Batman, Red Tornado, and Red X.

"Do you have a mission for us?" He asked quickly.

"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility." The robot answered stoically. '_Well, duh Red Tornado, thanking you for pointing out the obvious._'

"Yeah, well, but the Batman is out with the Robin, doing the dynamic duo thing in Gotham." '_See, I can state the obvious too._' "But you're headed somewhere right? Hot date or a… _a mission?_" He finished, throwing in a French accent at the end just for the fun of it.

"If we can be of help…" Kaldur offered from behind, and Red Tornado brought up a screen. Wally wished Robin was there so that they could bump fists. '_Score._'

"This is Kent Nelson, a friend. He is one hundred and six years old." Red Tornado said and Wally felt like he was in class again, receiving another boring speech that he wasn't going to remember by tomorrow.

"Guy doesn't look a day over ninety." He joked towards the person closest to him, who turned out to be Artemis. She spared him a glance before refocusing on Red Tornado. '_Nobody appreciates my humor._'

"And he has been missing for twenty-three days. Kent was a charting member of the Justice Society, the precursor to your mentors' Justice League." The robot continued.

"Of course, Nelson was Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, he was Doctor Fate." Kaldur said and Wally scoffed.

"Please, more like Doctor Fake. Guy knows a little advanced science, "Dumbledore's" it up to scare the bad guys and impress the babes." He said while leaning over towards Artemis, who merely raised an eyebrow.

"Kent might simply be on one of his walkabouts, but he is caretaker to the helmet of Fate, the source of the Doctor's mystic might and it is unwise to leave such power unguarded." Red Tornado paused before continuing. "Batman had already given this mission to Red X five days ago, but he has failed to report in any findings. That is why we believe Kent may be at his tower." '

'_Oh man, X got another mission?_' He huffed, feeling annoyed. '_How come Bats always gives the extra assignments to him?_' Wally would have said that Batman was playing favorites with Red X, if he hadn't realized whom he was talking about. Batman only liked Robin.

"He is like the great Sorcerer Priests and Priestesses of Mars; I would be honored to help find him." Megan said from ahead of him and Wally's hand shot up.

"Me too!" He agreed, making Megan turn around. "So honored I can't stand it. Magic rocks." He went so far as to make hand signs, hoping to cover the lack of enthusiasm in his voiced.

"Take this." Red Tornado said, holding up an oddly shaped key. "It is the key to the Tower of Fate." As Kaldur moved to take the key, Wally slid up beside Megan, offering a sly smile.

"What are the chances we both so admire the mystic arts?" She smiled back and inwardly he cheered. '_Nice one Wall-man, now just keep lying and Megan will be your girlfriend by the end of the day._'

~Young Justice: Red X~

**JUMP CITY: August 19, 19:51 EDT**

The Old Haunt was trashed, any reflective surface had been broken and the lights overhead had been shattered. A lone figure sat slumped over in a chair, face buried deep into his hands, and desperately trying to keep his shredded sanity intact. A low growl ripped through the person's throat and blood raced through his veins as he suddenly stood and threw his chair across the room, not even glancing at it as it broke against the wall.

His lone eye was focused solely on his hands that were too large to be his.

"This can't be happening, _**this isn't happening!**_" The figure shouted, fists slamming into a table nearby and breaking in half due to the force behind his strong limbs. He yelled ferociously, ignoring Raven's attempts to find out what was wrong. That right there was a bad sign. If Raven could pick up on his distress, Red X was closer to unraveling then he'd originally thought.

It had only been five days since Batman had assigned him with a mission to find Kent Nelson. The next to three days he'd tracked down where the former Sorcerer Supreme had last been seen, leading him to a little hole in the wall down in New Orleans. A woman named Madame Xanadu, had held a session with the older man on July twenty-seventh, saying he'd been there to contact his deceased wife.

After the former Doctor Fate had revealed her tricks for what they were, a man had arrived and grabbed Nelson, both just disappearing in a flash of white light. She'd tried to file a report with the police, but they'd simply laughed her off. Her reputation as a con artist had worked against her.

Getting a description of the man who took Nelson, Red X deduced that it was Abra Kadabra who had been the one to take the old man. From there, he'd followed what clues he could and found them hiding in a wax museum near Keystone City, a place which had once served as one of Abra Kadabra's previous hideouts.

…_Red X slowed his X-cycle as he reached the end of the street, taking in the seemingly abandoned wax museum with cautious eyes. He teleported to the roof, making sure his cloaking device was in effect, and peered through the skylight. He activated his infrared vision and slowly eased himself inside, continuing his search when he saw that no one was in the room he'd landed in. _

_After ten minutes of searching, he found them in the Houdini section of the museum. Nelson was tied up in chains, hovering upside down over a tank of water. The man's face and upper body was already drenched, showing that Abra Kadabra had most likely been tormenting the older man for some time. The villain stood next to the tank, wand in his hand and looking displeased._

"_You will tell us location of tower old man, or so help me, we'll see how long a former Lord of Order can last without air." Abra Kadabra snarled and Nelson gave a wet cough, smirking a little even as residual water from his abused lungs escaped his mouth. _

"_Do your worst, you second-rate magician." Red X moved before Abra Kadabra could lash out at the old man. He fired two Constrictive X's, that wrapped themselves around the man's legs and torso respectively. He cautiously approached the fake magician and kicked away his technologic wand. He turned to help Nelson doing, turning off his cloaking device. _

"_Kid, behind you!" Nelson shouted and Red X instinctively ducked, avoiding a wave of what looked like red fire. He dove forwards, putting more distance between himself and his attacker, and turned to see that he was facing off against Klarion the Witch Boy. _

_Red X didn't know much about the Lord of Chaos, only from the little that Batman had told him years ago. There'd been the demon Etrigan and a snow globe, but Red X couldn't remember much of the story beyond that. Batman had only told him that he needn't worry about it, since Klarion had been sealed away for good._

"_No, no, no! You're ruining the fun!" Klarion cried, letting off another round of fire that Red X avoided. "No one was supposed to find us yet!"_

"_Sorry to break up the party." He offered coolly and the Witch Boy hissed in response, features shifting into something demonic looking. "But, Mr. Nelson here didn't look as if he was enjoying your activities list." He threw a barrage of Adhesive X's that hit their mark, but Klarion burnt through them in a matter of seconds. _

"_Who are you?" The Lord of Chaos shouted in frustration and X charged ahead with his Bo Staff, taking the demon by surprise. He swung out with his staff, making the With Boy fall onto his backside, and retreated as a red shield shot up protectively around the fallen Lord of Chaos._

"_Right now, I'm your worst enemy." He answered evenly and Klarion snarled in anger, swiping wildly with his hands and making powerful gales of wind tear through the air. Red X teleported and appeared behind Klarion, striking out with his staff again, sending the demon face first into the ground. The With Boy turned to glare at him, a slight flush coloring his usually pale cheeks._

"_You? As my worst enemy? Don't make me laugh, no normal human could ever compare to me!" Another wave or red magic shot out and Red X back flipped to avoid most of the attack, bringing his arms up to block what he couldn't dodge. "I'll make you regret giving leeway to that impudent tongue of yours!" Red X grunted as something he couldn't see, more wind he guessed, slammed him hard into the opposite wall. "Abra, make yourself useful!"_

_Red X ducked the blast of electricity sent by Abra Kadabra. He eyed the two villains carefully, but was forced to move back blindly as both sent out new attacks. The conjured fire was easy to evade, but Abra Kadabra could manipulate the energy of his attack, making it chase after Red X as he moved. He took shelter behind a mannequin, barely able to hear Klarion muttering something under his breath. _

"_Kid, you have to stop Klarion, he's–" A loud splash echoed throughout the room. Red X looked out from behind the mannequin to see that Nelson had been dropped into the tank of water._

"_Silence you old fool!" Abra Kadabra yelled, aiming his wand at the tank and Red X took the chance to launch an electric X at the charlatan of a wizard, who was too distracted to notice the attack. Abra let out a pained scream as red bolts of energy raced through his body. He collapsed to the floor, knocked unconscious from the high voltage level fueled behind the attack._

_Red X teleported to the tank and smashed the glass, pulling Nelson out and helping him into a sitting position. The old man choked weakly, shivering from the cold, face dangerously red from the blood that had been rushing to his head. Nelson needed immediate medical attention. _

"_K-kid…" The older man tried to say, before coughing up more water._

"_It's alright, I have you." But the former Sorcerer Supreme shook his head._

"_Spell …Klar…ion." Cursing, he turned around quickly, only to see a flash of red fill his vision. Before he blacked out, Red X thought he heard Klarion say something._

_He woke hours later, head fuzzy and body oddly sore. Nelson, Abra Kadabra, and Klarion were of course gone. Red X growled at himself, slamming a fist into the floor and crunching the bits of glass underneath his body. He stopped suddenly, noticing that he couldn't see anything out of his right eye. He brought his hands up to his mask, but it wouldn't come off. Uneasy for some reason, he brushed it aside for now, understanding he had more important things to address._

_Stumbling to his feet, Red X clumsily made his way out of the room. He needed to get to his cycle and report to Batman, the League had no idea Nelson had been captured by Klarion. As he slowly moved down a hall, he caught sight of a flash of orange and one dark eye. He jumped back, landing into a sloppy fighting stance, unable to get his limbs to move the way he wanted. _

_Slade did the same, holding himself in the same slack position. _

"_**Slade!**__" He hissed, jerking a little in surprise as he heard his voice echo. That wasn't him, that wasn't his voice. There was no metallic tone covering his words, and it most certainly was not the voice of a seventeen year old. No, he'd sounded like…_

_Red X eyed Slade, heart beating so quickly he thought for sure that Slade could hear it. Slowly, he raised his right hand, a strangled noise escaping his throat as Slade copied the action. He gave up all pretenses and charged forwards, fist aimed at Slade's mask, only to end up crashing into a mirror. He stumbled away from the cracked surface, only to see Slade again and he lashed out. _

_Everywhere he looked he saw Slade. It was only when Red X collapsed onto his knees from exhaustion, cutting himself on broken shards, that he realized he was standing in a room full of mirrors. And he suddenly remembered what Klarion had said before unconsciousness had taken him._

"_Let's see how you handle your own worst enemy."_

_He screamed…_

Red X was suddenly brought back to his senses by the crackle of his communicator that was still remarkably inside his mask, even though it had been transformed along with the rest of his body.

"_Red X, are you there?_" He didn't respond. His voice was Slade's now. How would Aqualad recognize him? "_Please, respond. Red Tornado said you have failed to report in recently._" There was a long pause before the connection was cut off.

"_**Red X? Can you hear me?**_"

"_**Miss Martian?**_" He responded without thinking, but ended up sighing in relief. At least he still sounded like himself inside his own head.

"_**Oh good, we were worried about you.**_ _**I'm going to hook you up with Kaldur, okay?**_" She seemed to be telling him, rather than asking him.

"_**Red X, are you alright?**_" The Atlantian inquired and he looked down at his hands, wondering what he should say. Definitely not the truth. "_**We have been assigned to find Kent Nelson and Red Tornado informed us that Batman had given the mission to you days ago.**_"

"_**I'm fine, where are you?**_" He asked, hands clenched tightly at his sides to keep them from striking out at anything. He hadn't contacted anyone since waking up, too afraid to let others see him, too disgusted and ashamed. Now though, he realized he'd left Nelson at Klarion's mercy for two days.

"_**We are approaching Doctor Fate's tower to see if the helmet is secure. Hopefully, Kent Nelson will be there as well.**_" There was another long pause. "_**What has happened?**_ _**Miss Martian says she sensed great distress radiating from your mind.**_"

"_**Can you give me the coordinates? I'll meet you there and fill you in.**_" He said instead, not bothering to answer Aqualad's question.

"_**Of course, my friend, the destination is Salem, **__**Massachusetts. What is your arrival time?**_"

"_**I'll be there in about an hour.**_" It was about time he put his newly acquired X-plane to work.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**SALEM: August 19, 20:22 EDT **

"Grant us access to the tower, and I promise you an end to your suffering. Continue to refuse and–" Kent shouted, filling in for what Abra meant. He gritted his teeth against the pain, body sore from the days of torture. From below him, sitting in the audience, Klarion laughed darkly.

"Shush Teekl, I'm watching the show." The Lord of Chaos said to his yowling familiar.

"Enjoy it… while you can, soon enough… my friends will come to help me." He huffed raggedly, feeling his old age finally get the better of him. Having worn the helmet of Nabu for years had increased his own powers and physical fitness, but right now, he felt every year of his age. He gasped as Abra shocked him again.

"Friends, huh? You mean like that dumb kid you tried to save you?" Klarion taunted and Kent glared at the Witch Boy with everything he had. "I wonder how he's doing, being trapped in the form of his most hated enemy?" The familiar hissed and Klarion turned to it, annoyed. "What?" The creature said something only Klarion could understand, making him smile. "Oh, we're in luck you old fool, it seems more friends have come to your rescue."

Kent frowned. Yes, he'd hoped the League would send help, but from the sounds of things, it looked as if they're arrival was going to do more harm than good. Twenty-three days of resistance shot down the drain. Klarion approached him, teleporting them to just outside the theater were they could see a group of teens standing in the empty lot.

Klarion, unfortunately, had cast an illusion spell, making their small group invisible to the gathered teens. Still, they could hear the children talk amongst themselves. And the blonde girl listed off possible scientific reasons for why his Tower seemingly wasn't there.

"Hey Abra Kadabra, aren't you using adaptive micro-electronics and phase shifting?" Klarion asked mockingly, getting a sighed admittance from the other man. Kent focused on the group of children, they couldn't have been any older that the kid who'd tried to help him the other night. He'd hoped the boy would have shown up, if only so that he could help the lad, though Kent didn't know if he could undo the spell without the helmet.

He put those thoughts on hold as the tallest lad in the group, an Atlantian if Kent wasn't mistaken, opened the door to the Tower, breaking the protection spells around it.

"Shouldn't we wait for Red X?" The green skinned girl, a Martian he realized, said from beside the glowering boy who bared Superman's symbol.

"We still have a half-an-hour before his estimated arrival. If Mr. Nelson is here, we can end the mission easily enough on our own." The Atlantian said, getting nods from the others. The children then entered the Tower, leaving him and the two villains outside.

"Now, if you would be so kind." Abra Kadabra said giving a harsh push that sent him stumbling a little. The Tower reacted to his presence, opening a back door as he approached it.

"You know," He said lightly as they traveled down a hall. "The Tower may not appreciate trespassers."

"Mute." The fake magician said while summoning a strange collar that wrapped itself around his throat, leaving him unable to talk. They proceeded and a manifestation of himself, the sentinel of the Tower, appeared to greet him.

"Hello, Kent. How unlike you to bring guests to the Tower, especially one with such potent mystic power." Disturbingly enough, the collar around his neck spoke, repeating the words he'd used only minutes ago.

"My friends come to help me." The patchy sentence was enough to appease the sentinel, granting them passage deeper into the Tower.

"The helmet of Nabu will be mine." Klarion mostly said to himself, giving Kent a dark look as he pet the familiar in his arms.

'_Over my dead body you will._' He thought back. '_Hang on kids, I'll think of something._'

~Young Justice: Red X~

**SALEM: August 19, 21:17 EDT**

Red X stood on the roof of a rundown theater directly across from the Tower of Fate. He'd arrived twenty minutes ago, his X-plane currently camouflaged, only to find that there was no entrance to the Tower. He'd tried contacting the others, but he couldn't seem to get through on the comlinks or in reaching Miss Martian. With nothing to do but wait, Red X found his mind wandering into dangerous territory.

_He was Slade. _

A growl tore through his throat, hands itching with the desire to break something. Movement from down below on the street caught his attention and he was glad for the distraction. A man wearing a black ski mask was trying to pry open a convertible's car door. He moved without consciously meaning to, muscle memory seemingly taking over, and landed heavily behind the car thief, still unused to the movements behind Slade's body. The thug turned, crowbar in hand, freezing on the spot as he caught sight of Red X.

And the teen hero tried to ignore how different his shadow looked under the streetlight.

"D-Deathstroke!" The crook cried, dropping the crowbar and choosing to run for his life instead. He filed the alias away to look at later before giving chase, cutting through the alleyway and landing in front of the thief just as he rounded the corner. The car thief couldn't stop in time and ran straight into his chest; Red X barely felt it and the thief lost his footing, ending up on the sidewalk. "Oh please, don't kill me!"

Red X froze, he hadn't even touched the man and he was already pleading for his life. Just how terrifying was Slade in this dimension?

"You want to live?" He said as neutrally as he could, gritting his teeth at the sound of his own voice, of Slade's voice. The crook nodded his head rapidly. "There's a police station six blocks over, go and turn yourself in. I'll know if you don't." The thief took off, whether to actually turn himself in or not, Red X didn't really care.

His attention was turned to the Tower of Fate, hearing the faint sounds of what sounded like fighting. He ran, seeing flashes of yellow and red lights flare out from the roof, and used a grappling gun to join the fight.

The sight that greeted him was one he would remember for the rest of his days. From inside of a yellow bubble-like shield, Kid Flash was preforming CPR on Kent Nelson. It didn't look as if the man was responding. '_This is my fault; I could have saved him days ago._' He charged forwards, pulling out his collapsible staff and batted away the fireballs Klarion had aimed at the barrier.

"What are you doing here Deathstroke?" Klarion roared angrily and Red X narrowed his eye. He'd thought that the Witch Boy had stayed long enough to see what his spell had done, but apparently that was not the case.

"Deathstroke? Like as in, Deathstroke the Terminator and the world's best assassin?" Kid Flash shouted in surprise, voice cracking a little. '_Assassin?_' Red X thought, feeling unnerved. '_That's what Slade is in this world?_' However impossible, it seemed that this Slade was even more dangerous than his. He pushed those thoughts aside and turned to look over at Kid, eyes landing on Nelson's body. '_I can't lose another person!_'

"Kid, focus on Nelson!" He shouted, verbally shaking the teen out of his dazed state. The speedster responded, looking confused, but quickly turned back to Nelson, continuing the chest compressions. Red X looked back at Klarion, glaring at the demon with everything he had. "You and I have a score to settle." Klarion studied him curiously for a moment, before realization dawned, making him grin demonically.

"Oh!" He cried triumphantly while clapping his hands. "I remember you; you're that dumb kid who tried to save the old fool!" He laughed, clutching his side and Red X growled in response. "So Deathstroke is your worst enemy, huh? Though admittedly, the form you've taken is slightly different from how he presently looks. Is this how you see him in your head?"

Red X didn't answer, he simply charged at the Lord of Chaos, overreaching a bit with his staff and almost completely missing his target. He brought up an armor-plated arm; blocking Klarion's fired imbued punch, and swung his staff at the demon's unprotected stomach. Klarion doubled over, hands wrapping around his injured side and gasping for breath.

One good thing about Slade's body was that it was stronger than his. The advantage was slightly ruined though as he was unaccustomed to the longer limbs. Slade's body also wasn't nearly as flexible and agile as his, thus crippling his fighting style even further. He tried to follow through with a kick at Klarion's chest, but was blocked by a wave of red magic that threw him across the roof, smashing into Nelson's force field.

As he moved to get onto his knees, Klarion created claw-like hands from his fire, sending one into the barrier while the other grabbed Red X. He grunted in pain, feeling his ribcage protest at the force with which Klarion was using and he was beginning to find it hard to breathe. The heat pressing in from the fire was manageable, but only because of the flame-retardant material that underlined Slade's armor. With a free hand, he discreetly reached for one the compartments to his utility belt.

"I want that helmet!" The Witch Boy screamed and Red X groaned as the hand tightened even further. "Hey dumb kid!" For a second, Red X had thought Klarion was taking to him, but he saw that the demon wasn't looking in his direction. "You put that helmet on you may never get it off." Red X pulled out an ice disk, slamming it into the fiery hand that held him in place. The flames froze over and he brought up a knee, smashing his way free and landing on his feet.

He turned to Kid Flash, about to ask where the others were, only to be greeted by Doctor Fate.

"Fate has intervened." Kid cried out as a yellowish light shot out around his body. His voice sounded different, a deeper voice spoke simultaneously with his, overlapping Wally's words with its' own tone and almost drowning him out completely. Red X grimaced; he knew very well what happened to those who wore the helmet of Fate. He could only hope that he'd lost one hero today instead of two

"Give it up Nabu, order went out in the twentieth century." Klarion hissed as he continued with his earlier tactic and hurled more fireballs at the Sorcerer Supreme.

"This battle is pointless. You sought to take the helmet before it gained a host, but you are too late." Doctor Fate retorted, blocking the spells easily.

"Shut it you old fart!" Klarion summoned the roof's bricks upwards, manipulating the twin pillars of stone to slam into Fate. The Lord of Order was unaffected by the attack.

"Brat." He returned the attack with one of his own, aiming a beam of yellow light at Klarion. The demon vanished, appearing behind Fate and Red X threw his Bo Staff like a javelin, forcing Klarion to retreat before he could attack Doctor Fate's unprotected back.

"Ugh, you again? Stop interfering!" Red X jumped back to avoid a fresh wave of fire, regrouping with Fate who merely nodded. There was no recognition in Kid's green eyes, nor a dumb comment that he loved to make. Fate had truly taken over. Klarion summoned more fire, the flames taking the shape of a beast as it flew at them.

He dodged, but Fate was much slower, resorting to falling onto his stomach to avoid being hit. It was startling to see Kid Flash moving so slow and Red X had to wonder why the Sorcerer Supreme wasn't using the speedsters abilities. The fire beast spun quickly, diving upon Fate who blocked the spell, only to be hit from behind by another of Klarion's fireballs.

As Fate skidded across the roof, Red X brought up his staff to block the bullet-like orbs of energy that Klarion directed at him, not trusting his current body to move as it usually did. Fate tried to block with a shield, but it only last a few short seconds before failing. Giving Fate no time to recover or X the chance to advance, Klarion spewed fire at them from his mouth, the powerful torrent of flames forcing the two to separate. Fate took to the air and Red X raced across the roof, throwing shuriken at the Witch Boy at every opportunity.

The demon soon switched his method of fighting, summoning a series of geysers from that chased after both heroes. Despite being at a disadvantage, Red X managed to evade the attacks, pausing only when he heard Fate cry out in pain.

"You're out of practice Nabu, and that pathetic host body, zero affinity for the Mystic Arts." The Lord of Chaos taunted as Fate struggled to push himself onto his knees. "And you're ally isn't much help at this point either." Klarion raised his arms to the sky, summoning down a bolt of red lightning. Fate just barely managed to bring up another shield in time, doing his best to maintain the hastily casted spell. "Oh, rainbow powers."

Patience gone, Red X ran forwards, taking Klarion by surprise as the Witch Boy had been arguing with his familiar. The demon let out a shout of surprise as he ducked Red X's first strike and grunted as the second hit its' mark. Klarion slid back a few feet, landing near his cat and glaring, his control on the lightning spell lost, giving Fate a chance to escape.

"It is difficult for a Lord of Oder or Chaos to maintain a presence on the physical plane." Fate said before taking to the air. Klarion's features transformed into something feral looking, a wild fiery aura permeating from his body. The demon created even larger fireballs than before, throwing them at Fate with more ferocity than before. "I am bound to the helmet and use a human host." He shot a beam of light at Klarion, which was blocked. "But that is not your way."

"You're babbling Nabu!" Klarion hissed, voice carrying a demonic tone.

"Am I?" The Sorcerer Supreme launched another beam, bypassing Klarion and hitting his familiar. The small creature was thrown back, obviously injured from the sneak attack. Red X didn't exactly understand why Fate had attacked the cat, but he trusted that the sorcerer knew more about Klarion than he did.

"Teekl!" Klarion cried before turning to glare at Fate. "I can't believe you would assault a defenseless pussy cat!"

"We both know that creature is no cat, Witch Boy and without your familiar, you have no anchor to this reality." At that, Klarion's body seemed to fade a little, blinking out of existence for a moment before stabilizing. Red X eyed the cat, realizing he now had a way to return back to normal. He raced for it, keeping an open ear on the two mystic beings behind him.

"Bully! Killjoy! _Geezer!_" Klarion shouted and Fate retaliated with a beam of light. "Holy crap." The demon dodged by falling into a black hole that disappeared as soon as it was created, reappearing next to Red X just as he snatched the cat from the ground. "Teekl!" The Witch Boy cried in surprise and Red X dangled the cat over the side of the Tower, making the demon halt in his tracks. "Give him back!" The earlier aura and anger had returned, making Klarion a terrifying sight to behold.

Red X was unaffected, after facing someone like Trigon; Klarion's little temper tantrums were far from intimidating.

"Change me back to normal and I'll return the cat unharmed." He stated firmly as fire gathered in Klarion's hands. "Do anything otherwise and we'll see if all cats really do land on their feet." He dropped his arm a few inches, making the cat whine and Klarion gasp.

"Okay, okay!" Klarion started muttering again, saying words Red X couldn't understand, and the teen turned his attention to Doctor Fate, who seemed to be starring off into the distance. His eye was reclaimed by Klarion as red runes appeared around the demon's feet, smoke rising from the glowing symbols, before a wave of red shot out towards him.

He had the foresight to bring the cat back over solid ground just as the spell hit him. He tumbled to his knees, vision fading, but was still able to see Klarion disappear with his cat.

~Young Justice: Red X~

**JUMP CITY: August 20, 03:48 EDT**

Red X stared over the wreckage that he'd cause to his base, hands –_his normal hands_– ghosted over the broken computers and other ruined equipment. It was jarring to see how much destruction he'd caused. To have visible proof of how he'd lost control over himself. This destruction and chaos bordered on line of something more than just rage.

Red X had known for a few years now that he had a bit of a temper. At first, the evidence and actions had been easily covered, since he'd mostly been angry with Gotham's criminals back then. When he'd beaten up the bad guys, it was expected and no one had ever looked to see if there was more to it.

And then he'd punched Batman.

He hadn't meant to, it hadn't been a conscious decision, but Batman had just made him so angry. He'd tried to blame it on lack of sleep and stressful nights, but he couldn't continue to lie to himself once he'd seen the budding bruise on his mentor's face the next morning. Alfred hadn't asked where the mark came from and Bruce had simply dismissed the entire event, but he hadn't been able to get over it.

He'd apologized, oh god did he apologize. Bruce had brushed it aside; mind mostly focused on whatever he'd been working on.

Weeks went by slowly and Red X's remorse had only increased. Alfred had tried to help, but there was only so much the butler could do. Batman had finally seen how badly it had affected him when Red X had tried to take a bullet for the man that he could have easily avoided. The lecture that followed had only made him feel even guiltier and angrier. By the end of it all, he'd stormed out of the Cave and the Manor, promising that he wasn't coming back with Alfred calling after him.

A noise caught his attention and Red X turned with a shuriken in hand, relaxing as he saw who his visitor was. '_Speak of the devil and he shall appear._'

"What are you doing here, Batman?" He asked tiredly. He hadn't gotten much sleep over the past few days while trapped within Slade's body. What little sleep he did have was only filled with nightmares that even the Scarecrow's fear gas couldn't have conjured up.

The image of Nelson's body appeared in his minds' eye and X knew he wouldn't be getting any rest tonight either.

Nelson's death was his fault; he shouldn't have let himself be distracted during the fight. He should have alerted the League to Klarion's and Abra Kadabra's involvement, regardless of what had happened to him. If he'd just kept his head, if he hadn't allowed himself to sink in a haze of anger and depression, then Kent Nelson would still be alive.

"I read the team's report." The five worded statement said so much. The deafening silence that followed was overbearing and stifling. Red X gritted his teeth as Batman's eyes roamed over the room, taking in the mess that was a physical manifestation of his own mind. He refused to meet the man's eyes, preferring to stare at the dented wall opposite him. He could feel the judgment in the man's lingering gaze and he snapped defensively.

"Would your own base be in better shape if you'd been transformed to look like the Joker?" He growled, catching a slight twitch in the man's jaw. Batman visibly back off, clearly understanding how badly this had affected him. "…I'm sorry about Nelson." And then he teleported away, not wanting to hear a lecture, or even worse, his not-mentor's consoling words.

He would fix up the Old Haunt tomorrow, for now; he just wanted to find some dark place to hold up in. A lone sanctuary where he could escape from his thoughts, where he could hide from Batman's stare, and where he could try to forget his haunting memories.

~Young Justice: Red X~

Yup, Red X went throughout the chapter stuck in Slade's body. Really, if that doesn't screw with head, I don't know what will. One of the reoccurring things I noticed with the Teen Titans series is that the characters were constantly transformed. Think about it, the Puppet King placed their souls into puppets, Mad Mod made Robin old in one episode, and then Mumbo turned the Titans into animals. A lot of ridiculous things happened on that show, which I think, is one of the reasons for why I loved it so much.

So Red X getting turned into Slade didn't really seem too farfetched or out of context for me. I felt like it fit in with the weird episodes Teen Titans often had. I was glad to bring this element into the Young Justice dimension where everything is so damn serious. Not that the situation wasn't serious, there was no humor in this chapter at all. Still, it was nice to branch out and do something different.

And shit, Nelson died. I really felt like they didn't give the old guy any justice for being the first character to die on the show. They just kind of glossed over his death. Red X though, feels guilty because he could have saved Nelson. This will haunt him for a little bit, making him unstable and putting himself in danger. Basically, he gets more issues that need to be resolved. Man, what a basket case I'm turning X into. Also, check out my profile to see what the X-plane looks like. Those of you who've seen Batman Beyond may recognize it.

Next chapter will take place during "Downtime", but we'll be following Red X as he goes through his own thing, so it won't follow the episode at all.

~Hexalys~


End file.
